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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28898109">Some Things Are Meant to Be</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/knitsessed/pseuds/juliathephantom'>juliathephantom (knitsessed)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alex judging Luke, Anxiety, Established Relationship, F/M, JATP, Jukebox, Jukebox are disgustingly cute, Julie Molina Has Anxiety, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson Fluff, Las Vegas Wedding, Luke can cook, Luke shirtless, Luke uses his body to distract Julie from her panic attacks, M/M, Meet-Cute, PALINA, Panic Attacks, Promposal, Secret Marriage, Vow renewal, actual proposal, destiny management signs JATP, failure at keeping a secret marriage secret, it does not work the same way on Alex, it works because he's hot, juke, like actually well, like they literally don't last a day, record store employee Luke Patterson, the band goes on tour, they don't go to prom, they elope instead, wedding dress shopping, willex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:07:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>63,810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28898109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/knitsessed/pseuds/juliathephantom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A Jukebox love story. They're so in love and it's basically just fluff.<br/>Julie's in high school (already 18) and Luke has already graduated.<br/>This was originally a one-shot entitled Panic Attacks. I can't get them out of my head though so... Whole fic, now, I guess.</p><p>Title from Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Reggie Peters/ Original Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>604</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>332</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Panic Attacks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For those of you who read In Perfect Harmony as it was being posted, the updates for this will likely not be as fast or as plentiful. I posted several chapters of IPH a day because I was on winter break and super inspired. This fic is not writing itself as easily plus school starts back up January 25th, so I will be updating less frequently.<br/>Also, if anyone wants to say hi or chat or anything, you can find me on tumblr @knitsessed or send me an email at knitsessed@gmail.com<br/>I'm super friendly and I love to meet new people so don't be shy! I want to be friends with all of you amazing people!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He’d been on the phone with Julie for at least an hour when the panic attack started. He could hear Julie’s breathing getting fast and she stopped answering him when he would say something. This wasn’t good. Julie had been doing so well and now she’s having a breakdown and he’s not there to help her. Not there yet. Luke hops off of his bed, slides his feet into the first shoes he can find, and is out the door before his friends can ask where he’s going. He somehow manages to bike over to Julie’s while staying on the phone with her, though he’s not sure it’s helping. The call drops just as he’s approaching her house, so he bangs on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray Molina answers. “Can I help you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to see Julie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never mind that,” Luke huffs, getting exasperated. Julie is upstairs having a panic attack and her father is in the way. Luke’s frantic brain decides that if Ray won’t let him in, he’ll just push past him. Luke bolts up the stairs, Ray on his heels. When Luke finds Julie’s bedroom, he bangs on that door, too. “Julie, it’s Luke! Can I come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie doesn’t respond but he can hear her hiccupping sobs, so Luke pushes open the door anyway. “Oh, Jules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is sitting on the floor next to her bed, arms wrapped around her knees. Her face is buried in her knees and her shoulders are shaking with the force of her distress. Luke frowns. “Hey, Jules. Can you look at me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie lifts her head, eyes red. Luke crouches down in front of her. “I’m going to touch your shoulder now, okay?” Luke puts his hand on her shoulder and rubs gentle circles with his thumb. “Can you do some deep breaths with me? In, two three four. Hold, two three four. Out, two three four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tries. Her breath stutters, though, and then she’s hyperventilating again. “Okay, time for plan B.” He pulls his hand back and tugs his shirt off. “Jules, look at me. You’re okay, honey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes slowly focus on his bare chest, which is better than the vacant look she’d had before. Her hand rises off of her legs, then falls back down. “Hey, no, Jules, it’s okay. You can touch me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Permission having been granted, Julie uncurls from her little ball and flings herself at Luke. He falls back onto the floor from the force of her launch, resulting in Luke flat on his back and Julie lying on top of him. He grins, wrapping his arms around her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Jules, try to match your breathing to mine.” Luke takes a deep, long, slow breath. Slowly, he lets it out, and repeats the process until Julie’s breathing matches. He returns his breathing to a normal rate, Julie following. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once she’s mostly calmed down, she sits up so that she’s straddling his waist. Her hands begin to wander over his chest. Ray clears his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie jumps. “Oh, hi, Papí.” She climbs off of Luke, then extends a hand to help him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can someone explain what’s going on?” Ray asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s breathing speeds back up a little bit. Luke sighs and tugs her over to her bed. He sits down, leaning against the headboard and Julie curls up into his side. Ray sits down at the foot of the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Molina, my name is Luke Patterson. I’m Julie’s boyfriend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend, mija,” Ray chastises. “How long have you two been dating?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, two months? About?” Luke looks down to Julie for confirmation. She nods. “So, I was on the phone with her and she started having a panic attack, so I came over to try and help. I live about ten minutes away by bike, so she’d been having her attack for at least that long before I got here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s why you were so impatient to get into the house?” Ray clarifies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I don’t like it when she’s suffering, so I wanted to help immediately. Sorry for just barging in like that, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray waves the apology away. “So, why did you take off your shirt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke flushes. “It’s the best method I’ve found for distracting her enough to calm her down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’ve done this before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, um, the first time, it was an accident. We’d been rocking out together and it got to be too much. She had a panic attack and I pulled my shirt off to wipe away the sweat before I went to hug her and she just… stopped crying and started, uh, staring. I tried it intentionally the next time she had a panic attack and it just became my go-to solution.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, thank you for helping her, Luke. I’ll give you guys some space, but, mija?” Julie looks up when Ray addresses her. “We’re gonna have to have a talk about this, okay? I want to know what’s going on in your life. You can tell me when you’re having panic attacks or if you get a boyfriend, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Papí. I just didn’t want to worry you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mija, it’s more worrying to have your secret boyfriend come barging in than it is to know that you have a boyfriend.” Ray grins. “Well, I’ll see you in a bit. Luke, are you staying for dinner?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir, if that’s alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t. You have to be wearing a shirt then, though, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke laughs. “Of course.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Dinner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dinner with the Molinas is not what Luke had expected. He had, per Ray’s request, put on a shirt, and now, sitting down at the table with Julie next to him, he feels oddly welcome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Julie, why haven’t I met Luke before?” Ray asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s, uh, that’s my fault,” Luke says. “Parents don’t generally like me and I was scared to lose Julie if you didn’t like me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I kept telling him that that was ridiculous and that you’d like him because I like him, but...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie’s right. Anyone that’s important to my kids is important to me. Now, why do you think parents don’t like you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex’s parents are convinced that I’m a bad influence on him and that he’s gay because of me, which is complete nonsense. I’m not even his type! And then </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> parents don’t like me, so why would anyone else’s?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, while I don’t know what’s going on with your family, I can tell you what </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> first impression of you is.” Luke instantly looks worried at Ray’s words. “You showed up at my house desperately trying to help my daughter. You wouldn’t let anyone, even someone you wanted to impress, stand in your way, and you were able to calm Julie down. I may not like your methods, but that’s just because I’m her dad and I don’t want to see my baby girl looking at someone like that.” Julie blushes. “My first impression of you is that you’re someone who cares a whole lot about my daughter, and as a father, that’s the most important thing I look for in my kids’ partners.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, so you… like me?” Luke is confused. “Parents don’t like me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “Luke, I’ve met Alex’s parents and they’re bigots. They don’t like anyone who doesn’t fit into their cookie-cutter, white picket fence life. And from what you’ve told me about your parents, they just worry about you. They want you to be happy and safe and financially secure. Becoming a rockstar is a difficult path and they want you to have a backup plan, just in case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re working on becoming a rockstar?” Ray asks, interested. “My wife, Julie’s mom, was a songwriter. Are you in a band?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sunset Curve, tell your friends.” Luke frowns. “I’m turning into Reggie, Jules. Save me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Reggie?” Ray is a little bit concerned with how many people in Julie’s life he doesn’t know about, but he hopes she’ll open up more now that he knows about Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie plays bass. Alex is our drummer, and, if we can convince her, Julie will be our lead singer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I already told you, Luke, I refuse to be part of a band called Sunset Curve. It’s so nineties.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the guys and I have already told you, we’ll change the name! What did Flynn suggest? Julie and the Phantoms?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like that,” Ray says. “Julie, you should join the band. Your mother was part of a few bands back in the day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Would I have heard of them?” Luke wants to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Yes, Luke, you listen to my mom’s band sometimes. Rose and the Petal Pushers. She was Rose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s jaw drops. “Your mom was Rose Santos?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, once we got married, she was Rose Molina,” Ray points out. “You’ve heard of her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heard of her? She’s, like, legendary in certain music circles around LA. She played sold-out shows at major clubs and then around 2001, she just disappeared!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, because she got pregnant with Julie and wanted to settle down and be a mom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, I told you I used to write music with my mom. Why are you so surprised she was good at it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke huffs. “There’s a difference between ‘good at it’ and Rose Santos. Your mom won </span>
  <em>
    <span>multiple </span>
  </em>
  <span>Grammys for her songwriting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, they make great paperweights,” Julie smirks at his gobsmacked expression. “I’m teasing you. There’s a shelf of them in the studio.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The studio! You’ve told me so much about it. Can I see it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finish your dinner, Luke, then I’m sure Julie will take you out there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Carlos?” Julie asks then. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just notice he’s not here?” Ray chuckles. “He has a sleepover with his buddy from the baseball team. You remember Tyler, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Tyler’s a sweet kid. Oh, Carlos is my brother. I think I’ve told you about him?” Julie turns to Luke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s into ghost-hunting, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray laughs. “We have no idea where that interest came from, but yes.” He pauses. “So, how did you two meet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know that record store I like?” Julie asks. “Luke works there. I went in because I needed a break from a hellish day and I found an old Rose and the Petal Pushers CD.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She started crying, like full out sobbing, and I was the only one working so obviously I felt like I needed to do something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, but your attempts at comforting me were the definition of awful. You patted my head! I’m not a puppy, Luke!” Ray laughs at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but then I distracted you by talking about music and that cheered you up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, we spent the next two hours looking through the stacks and judging the other customers’ tastes in music and then Luke asked me for my number so that we could do that again, preferably when he wasn’t working and wouldn’t get in trouble for slacking off. The rest is history.” Julie concludes the story with a shrug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s really cute,” Ray decides. “Your mother would have loved that.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Studio</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Julie shows Luke her mother's studio and they play Edge of Great for Ray.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this took so long to get out! Just a reminder, the new semester starts tomorrow for me, so updates will probably not occur as frequently as I would like.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After everyone has finished eating and the table is cleared, Ray encourages Julie to show Luke her mother’s studio. Luke is, of course, awestruck upon entering it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are </span>
  <em>
    <span>chairs</span>
  </em>
  <span> on the </span>
  <em>
    <span>ceiling</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” He exclaims. “And the Grammys! It’s official, I’m never leaving this studio.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs at him. “I wonder how my dad would feel about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He likes me, so…” Luke shakes his head, still not used to a parent liking him. It’s then that he notices the guitar on a stand in the corner. “Oh, wow. Was that Rose’s guitar?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of them. You wanna try it out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, seriously? That thing has to be worth a fortune, not to mention the sentimental value.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, Mama would have loved to see it get some use. I don’t play it much and Papí and Carlos aren’t the least bit musically skilled, so go for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What should I play?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Play that epic guitar solo from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Edge of Great</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Epic, huh?” Luke smirks. “Okay.” He picks up the guitar, holding it reverently. He slings the strap over his shoulder and begins strumming some random notes. Humming to himself, he adjusts the tuning slightly. “I’m gonna play it from the beginning, alright, boss?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie watches with a huge smile as her boyfriend begins playing her mother’s guitar. Rose Molina was a brilliant guitarist, though she often played piano as well. Julie knows her playing doesn’t compare (she’s a lot better at the piano than her mom was and her mom was vastly better at guitar), so it eases something in Julie’s soul to hear such skilled playing come from her mother’s instrument. That the person coaxing the sounds out is someone who means so much to her only makes it better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time Luke gets to the ‘epic guitar solo,’ Ray has come out to watch. Luke is so caught up in the music that he doesn’t notice and is startled by the applause when he finishes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, that was incredible! You play like my Rose did. It makes me happy to hear her guitar being used again. Julie’s just not that good at the guitar, mostly because she doesn’t play it enough to get good.” That last bit is said with the not-so-subtle air of ‘you should practice’ that parents are excellent at.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Papí, I could practice every day for the rest of my life and never be as good as Luke or Mama. I could become good, but I’ll never be the same level of brilliant as they’ve achieved. They work hard, yes, but there’s also a natural gift. I have it for the piano, Reggie has it for the bass, Alex has it for the drums, and Luke and Mama have it for the guitar. No amount of practice can equal a </span>
  <em>
    <span>gifted</span>
  </em>
  <span> artist, especially when they, too, put in the practice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve had this discussion a million times,” Ray says to Luke. “I never win.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe that’s a sign that Julie’s right, sir. She says you’re not musical, so maybe that’s why you don’t get it. Her piano playing is magical and no amount of practice can equal the clear love and joy she puts into her music. I play a little bit of piano, but I don’t love it and will therefore never be as good as Julie. It’s the same for her with guitar.” Luke pauses. “Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but what did Rose say about this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That Julie’s time was better spent practicing the instrument she loves rather than forcing herself to learn an instrument she doesn’t.” Ray concedes. “You’re right. I guess I just loved hearing her mother play so much that, well, I wanted to hear someone playing live, even if it couldn’t be my Rose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Papí! Why didn’t you ever tell me that? I would have played for you if I’d known!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to, at least if Luke sticks around. He can do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir, I can. I’d be more than happy to play for you. I can do another song right now if you’d like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was the song you were playing just now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Edge of Great</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Julie and I wrote that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mija, you wrote that? Does it have lyrics?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And piano.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you play it for me, both of you?” Ray looks so hopeful that Julie immediately moves from the couch to the piano bench.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready, Luke?” She asks. He gives her a thumbs up and she starts playing. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Running from the past/ tripping on the now/ what is lost can be found, it’s obvious/ </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>And like a rubber ball/ We come bouncing back/ We all got a second act, inside of us…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Luke comes in with the guitar and Ray grins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His daughter is talented. He knew that already, of course, but seeing her playing her heart out with someone he strongly suspects she loves, well, that’s something special. He feels privileged to witness it, even when Luke joins her on the piano bench for the outro. They look like they’re about to kiss and Ray is not sure if he’s ready to see that, so he starts clapping. Both Julie and Luke jump a little, turning to him with a look that tells him they’d forgotten he was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mija, that was incredible!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It sounds even better with the guys. The drums and bass really complete the sound.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules?” Luke asks. “Does this mean you’re gonna join the band?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re gonna join her band,” Ray says, smirking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go with what he said. Julie and the Phantoms, tell your friends.” Julie frowns. “God, now I’m turning into Reggie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does that mean exactly?” Ray isn’t sure he wants to know, a feeling that is emphasized when Julie and Luke exchange a look, groaning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie’s a little bit… questionable,” Luke replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is quick to add to that. “He’s super sweet and a great guy and everything, but sometimes the things that come out of his mouth are a little bit… well, questionable really is the best word for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Here’s our demo and a shirt, size beautiful,’” Luke quotes, actually making the quotes with his fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, remember when we played </span>
  <em>
    <span>Flying Solo</span>
  </em>
  <span> for Flynn and he said, ‘wait, so, when she says “deep dish”, is she talking about, like, pizza or...?’” </span>
  <span>Ray starts laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see what you mean. I’d like to meet this Reggie sometime.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god, </span>
  <span>Papí, that would make Reggie’s day! He’s been wanting to meet you for, like, forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Ray is, for obvious reasons, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, none of us are quite sure. He just says that he thinks the two of you would be really good friends.” Luke sighs. “We’ve tried to point out to him that he’s still in college and you’re, like, an actual adult with a kid his age but it doesn’t seem to make a difference to him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s phone chooses then to buzz. She looks at the text, then rolls her eyes. “Luke, did you forget to take your phone off silent again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why can’t Alex get ahold of you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke checks his phone. “... Because I forgot to take my phone off of silent again?” He replies, flushing. “What did Alex want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To know when you’re gonna be home. It’s getting late and you have one of those early-morning shifts tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah. Type of music to look for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, male/female duets, </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> love songs. We could use some inspiration for our next songwriting session and Alex will be pissed if every duet we write is a love song.” Julie pecks a kiss to his lips, then waves him out of the studio. “Go get some sleep and text me what you find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, bye, Jules!” Luke waves, struggling to bike down the driveway with only one hand on the handlebars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Use both hands! Do you want to break an arm and not be able to play?” Luke immediately puts his hand back on the handlebars. “Bye!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So does anyone have any suggestions for male/female duets that aren't love songs? Because that's a pretty niche category, apparently, and the only thing I can think of for Luke to find for Julie is Anything You Can Do from Annie Get Your Gun... Better options, please?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Talk (No, Not THAT Talk)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for all the duet suggestions! I didn't get to that in this chapter but it'll probably be the next chapter. Also, I was going to wait until morning to post this but I can't sleep so since it's technically the day I was going to post it, here you go!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Julie turns to head into the house once Luke is out of sight and comes to a stop when she notices that her dad is still out there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Papí?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we talk, Jules?” Ray asks. Julie nods and follows him into the house. They settle on the couch and Julie waits patiently for her dad to gather his thoughts. “I want to preface this by saying that you’re not in trouble and I’m not mad.” Julie tenses. “I just- why didn’t you tell me that you were having panic attacks again? And they’re often enough that your boyfriend has a go-to solution?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks at her lap. “They’re less panic attacks and more spiraling. I, um, I get worried that I- so, I really miss Mama and sometimes I get scared that everyone I love will die or stop being in my life. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to send me back to Dr. Turner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mija, if you had told me they were happening and that you didn’t want to go back to Dr. Turner, we could have come up with another plan so that you wouldn’t be suffering. It scared me having your boyfriend come barging in all worked up like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Papí. I should have talked to you. We don’t need a plan, though. Luke has a system. He calms me down and then we talk and I feel better. It doesn’t happen that often.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How often does it happen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Once a week maybe? Before today, it had been almost two weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie, really? That’s pretty often, mija. Is it always as bad as it was today?”</span>
</p><p><span>“No, not normally. Um, if Luke is there, he’s generally able to calm me down a lot faster than today.”</span><span><br/></span> <span>“What made today take longer?”</span></p><p>
  <span>Julie blushes. “Do you really want me to answer that?” Ray nods, so Julie sighs. “You were there.” Ray opens his mouth to respond to that, but Julie holds up a hand. “It’s not about you. You didn’t do anything to make it worse or anything, but Luke was uncomfortable taking his shirt off in front of you so he tried to calm me down other ways. Normally, he would have just gone right to that to distract me quickly but..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I was there and he didn’t want to upset me.” Ray closes his eyes. “Okay. Tell Luke that if you’re having an attack, he doesn’t have to worry about me. I don’t want him to hesitate to do something he knows will help you on my account. If I have any concerns about his behavior, we can talk when you’re in a better frame of mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Papí. I’ll let him know.” Julie moves to get up, but Ray stops her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, the next thing we need to talk about is the whole hiding that you have a boyfriend thing. I understand why Luke didn’t want to meet me, but were you ever going to tell me about him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d been working on him. We were going to go over to Flynn’s and have him meet her parents as a practice run next week and then when that went well, you were going to be next.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you tell me more about him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s face lights up. “Yeah, what do you want to know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said you met him at that record store, right? The Vault?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he works there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like, after school? On the weekends?” Julie doesn’t meet Ray’s eyes. Ray feels his own widen. “Is he in school?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he graduated a couple of years ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A couple of years ago? Mija, how old is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “He’s twenty-one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Twenty-one?” That’s not as bad as Ray had been worried about but... “He doesn’t buy you alcohol or anything, does he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No, Papí! Of course not! He doesn’t drink and I honestly don’t think I’d be able to talk him into it if I tried and I can talk him into almost anything.” Julie pauses. “You know I wouldn’t drink anything even if he would buy it for me, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I just have to ask. It’s my duty as your father. So he’s in a band?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, with Alex and Reggie. They’ve been friends for basically forever. None of them have the best family situations so they kind of became their own family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you tell me about their families? Do I need to be worried?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Alex and Reggie have gone no-contact and Luke calls his parents on their birthdays and that’s it. We kind of mentioned it earlier, but Alex’s parents did not take it well when he came out, and Reggie’s parents… it would have been better for everyone involved if they would just get a divorce. Maybe then he wouldn’t flinch away any time someone he doesn’t know well touches him.” Ray frowns. The poor boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His parents don’t really get the whole music thing. Like, they bought him a guitar as a birthday present because he begged for it, but from what I understand, they regret it and would honestly rather he go to school to become, like, an accountant or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve spent all of two hours with that boy of yours and I can tell that he’d be miserable as an accountant. He has a gift and it’s not accounting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” Julie exclaims. “He’s super talented but his parents don’t think he can make it and they don’t want him to ‘waste time trying.’” Julie sighs. “I know he loves his parents and I genuinely think they love him but until they accept that he isn’t going to follow the path they want him to, they won’t be a part of his life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good for him. If Alex and Reggie are as good as you two, then I’ll be surprised if you don’t win a Grammy down the road.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s eyes tear up. “You think so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Papí, will you tell him that? I think it would be a huge deal for him to know that a parent, even if it’s not his own, believes in him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, mija. Now, next question. This one is just because I’m curious. What was that whole thing about ‘music to look for?’” Ray grins at Julie. The serious stuff is out of the way and now he just wants to hear his daughter gush about her boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so every couple of weeks, The Vault brings Luke in super early, like four in the morning early, to have him go through the new stuff they receive. They buy a bunch of lots of records and CDs and stuff online and it’s his job to figure out what the good stuff is. The bad stuff gets donated to Goodwill or something. I’m not really sure. Anyway, Luke loves going through all the albums but because it’s so early, he sometimes has a hard time staying awake. If I give him a specific thing to look for for me, it helps him get through it without losing focus. We’ve discovered some really good music that way, too, so it’s a win-win.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He makes you happy, doesn’t he?” Ray can tell that the answer is yes, but he wants to hear her say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So much, Papí. He’s incredible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you love him?” Again, Ray is pretty sure the answer is yes, but he’s not sure if Julie has realized it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A dreamy haze falls over Julie’s eyes and she smiles a secret little smile that Ray hasn’t seen on her face before, but knows nonetheless. That’s the smile he had when he looked at Rose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, Papí. I don’t know if I know what love feels like, but I think that if it isn’t this, it’s something pretty close.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy for you. He seems like a really good guy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He is.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Stand Tall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Julie and Luke finish Stand Tall and the band performs it for Ray.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to EchoCharm for all the brainstorming sessions and help trying to come up with a nonromantic male/female duet.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next time Ray sees Luke, he’s hovering in the driveway. It’s easily half an hour before Julie will get home from school, so Ray comes out to talk to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here? Julie doesn’t get back for a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I, uh, I couldn’t, um, I couldn’t be not… here.” Luke rubs the back of his neck anxiously. “I was too impatient. She texted me saying that she got all her homework done during her free period and asked if we could do some writing, so of course I said yes because she’s a brilliant songwriter and I love writing with her but I was sitting in my room trying to wait until a reasonable time to come over and I just kept getting more and more excited so I figured I’d just come early.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you don’t have to stand around in the driveway. You’re welcome to come in, or you can wait in the studio if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Mr. Molina.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Call me Ray, Luke. Mr. Molina makes me feel old. Oh, by the way, I wanted to tell you something I told Julie. She thinks you’d like to hear it, so here it is. If the rest of your band is as talented as you and Julie are, then I have no doubt that you guys will make it big. I can’t wait to see you guys accept your first Grammy, mijo, and I hope you know that your parents’ lack of support doesn’t reflect your talent. You’re going to be a star, whether your parents see it or not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke isn’t embarrassed to admit that he starts crying. “You really think so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know so. I married a Grammy winner, Luke. I think I have some idea of what kind of passion and talent it takes and you definitely have it.” Luke smiles through his tears. “Can I give you a hug?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nods, letting Ray wrap him up in a big hug. “You’re a really good dad, Ray. I wish mine was as supportive as you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, if your parents won’t be your biggest fans, I’d be more than happy to take on that role.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re gonna have to fight me on that one,” Julie says, startling them. They hadn’t heard her approach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke immediately squirms out of Ray’s hug in favor of hugging Julie. “Hi! How was school?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Boring. Flynn was out sick so I was lonely. That’s why I actually got homework done during my free period.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Jules. That sucks. You wanna go write?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Before you do that, Luke, I have one more thing to tell you.” Luke tenses. He knows Ray has been nothing but kind and supportive but a parent wanting to talk to him always stresses him out. “It’s nothing bad! I told Julie to tell you this, too, but I want you to hear it from me. If Julie is having one of her attacks or is otherwise distressed, I don’t want you to hesitate to help her, even if you don’t think I’ll approve of your methods. She told me that you didn’t do the shirtless thing right away last night because I was there. If Julie needs you, do what you have to do. If I have concerns, we can talk about it once she’s in a better mindset. Do you understand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.” Ray raises an eyebrow. “Sorry, Ray. Force of habit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then. Go have fun and I can’t wait to hear your new song!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke and Julie head into the studio while Ray returns to the house. Once they’re safely away from Ray, Luke kisses Julie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been wanting to do that since I left you.” He sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not complaining,” Julie smirks. “Did you find me a song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke huffs, unhappy with what he has to offer her. He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a vintage record.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so apparently a male/female duet that isn’t a love song is a super niche category. The best I could do was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything You Can Do</span>
  </em>
  <span> from the musical </span>
  <em>
    <span>Annie Get Your Gun</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Julie bursts out laughing and Luke rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tried, okay? I googled the lyrics of so many songs and they were all love songs or love-adjacent. I figured a breakup song still counted as a love song, so…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for trying. I don’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything You Can Do</span>
  </em>
  <span> is going to be all that inspiring for our next song, but it sure is funny.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have any ideas for what we </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> write about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted, um.” Julie hesitates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Jules, you know you can tell me anything, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” She sighs. “There’s a song I started with my mom before she died. I, uh, I was hoping you’d help me finish it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re sure? I mean, that’s a huge deal. You really want </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “I tried. I can’t- um, I get too caught up in my head when I try to finish it myself and there’s no one I’d rather have help me finish my mom’s song than you.” She pauses. “I mean, except for my mom, obviously. Because that would mean I’d get to talk to her again and all that. I’m rambling, aren’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins at Julie. “Little bit, boss. I’d be honored to help you. Can I see what you’ve got?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sits down at the piano after pulling out the battered notebook she and her mom used to write songs in from the compartment in the bench. She takes a deep breath then starts playing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t blink/ no, I don’t want to miss it./ one thing, and it’s back to the beginning/ cause everything is rushing in fast/ keep going on never look back.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Julie keeps singing, finally getting to the part where she’s stuck. She blinks back some tears and looks over at Luke. “I feel like something big needs to happen now, but I don’t know what.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so I have an idea, but first I have to ask: is this going to be for the band or just for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Either? What’s your idea?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, so we change some things so that it’s more of a duet. I can come in with the second ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m going out of my mind</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ and do the next verse. Then a lot of it can be sung together. Where you’re stuck, I thought… well, what about having Reggie and Alex each take a repeat of the chorus? So that we’re all solo singing about standing tall even if we’re the last ones and then we all come together at the end? Like we’ll stand tall but we’ll stand taller together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god! Luke, that’s brilliant! I love it!” Julie pulls out her phone. “I’m texting the guys. They need to come over so that we can play it like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke laughs. “So my idea was a good one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods absently, still focused on the group chat. “Reggie says he’ll come if he can meet my dad and Alex seems to think he needs to come to keep Reggie from being too questionable, so they’ll be here in a few minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They set up the old Rose and the Petal Pushers drums while they wait. When the guys get there, Julie shows them the song, pointing out their parts. They take their places at their instruments and get started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The song is so powerful that even the clunky first play-through sounds good, which, Luke points out, never happens. They run through it a couple more times before Julie runs into the house to grab her dad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Papí, we finished the song! Do you want to come hear it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, mija!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they walk out to the studio, Julie informs him that Reggie and Alex came over to play it with them. “Oh, and Papí, this song is special. I started it with Mama, and Luke helped me finish it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray barely manages to keep his jaw from dropping. This, more than anything, tells him how much Luke means to Julie. She hadn’t even let him or Carlos </span>
  <em>
    <span>touch </span>
  </em>
  <span>Rose’s song books, much less see what was inside. For her to let Luke help, she must really trust him and love him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can’t wait to hear it. What’s it called?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We’ve only played it through like three times, so it might not sound perfect yet, but I was so excited to show it to you and Reggie wants to meet you, so we figured it was time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They enter the studio, then, and Reggie bounces on his heels. Alex holds onto his arm to keep him from running up to Ray and hugging him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, who’s who?” Ray asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Alex,” Alex says. “This is Reggie. I apologize for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie frowns at Alex. “Why? I didn’t do anything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yet,” the rest of the band says in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray laughs. “It’s nice to meet you, Reggie, Alex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha, he said my name first!” Reggie looks smugly at Alex. “I’m his favorite!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, Reg, I think I’m his favorite.” Julie rolls her eyes at her friend. “I am his daughter, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a dad,” Ray interjects. “I don’t play favorites.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cop out,” Luke laughs. “Everyone has a favorite. My favorite member of the band is Julie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie blushes, hiding her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair,” Alex says. “She’s my favorite, too.” Reggie agrees with the others and Julie just looks embarrassed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s sweet, guys. Can we play the song now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guys take pity on her and Alex returns to his drums. Julie returns to her piano and Reggie and Luke swing their instruments back to their playing positions. Alex counts them in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they play, Ray can feel his eyes tear up. This band has a gift. Julie had mentioned that they’d only played the song three times but it sounds so smooth and rehearsed that Ray finds himself doubting the truth of his daughter’s words, and Julie doesn’t lie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can hear Rose’s influence in the song, but what really stands out is the camaraderie between the members of the band. Luke and Julie have chemistry, which he doesn’t really want to see, but it’s not just them. The whole band plays off of each other and hypes each other up. It’s really something special, he thinks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the song ends, he claps and congratulates them on a great song, but he also sends his thanks up to Rose, wherever she is. He just knows that she sent Julie these people so that she could finally move on and he couldn’t be more grateful.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 2:37 AM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Julie has a nightmare and Luke calms her down. Contains discussions of cooties.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ray is woken up by a loud banging. He checks the clock on his nightstand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>2:37 AM</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Who is making that much noise at such a godforsaken time? He climbs out of bed to investigate. He passes Carlos’ room, where he can hear snoring, and follows the sound to the front door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opens the door and is surprised to see Luke. “Luke? Mijo, it’s two in the morning. What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie had a nightmare.” Ray lets Luke enter the house. The boy takes the stairs two at a time, tugging his shirt off as he goes. Luke knocks on Julie’s door. “Jules? It’s Luke, I’m coming in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opens her door and Ray watches as he climbs onto the bed next to Julie. She immediately throws herself into his arms and he tugs her down so that she’s snuggled up against his chest. Luke runs his fingers through her hair, whispering softly in- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that French?” Ray asks. Luke nods, not stopping the steady stream of words coming from his mouth. “Does she understand what you’re saying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke shakes his head, as Julie finally stops shaking, falling back into a restless sleep. “She doesn’t know what I’m saying, but I think that’s part of why it helps. She knows she doesn’t have to respond or think about what I’m saying because she knows that I know she doesn’t understand what I’m saying. It gives her permission to just listen to the rhythm of my voice and not have to talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know what her nightmare was about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, apparently she was in the hospital sitting with Rose and then Rose flatlined and then it wasn’t Rose in the bed but it was me and then you and Carlos and Flynn and Reggie and Alex and her tía Victoria and she had to sit there and watch all of us die.” Ray winces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is definitely a bad dream,” he breathes. “How did you know she needed you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She called me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, it’s the middle of the night. Why did you pick up? Weren’t you asleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sighs. “Yeah, I was. But Julie needed me and I have my phone set so that it always rings even in the middle of the night if it’s her calling. I will always be there for her when she needs me. Even at,” he glances at his phone. “three in the morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You love her, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to answer that until I discuss my feelings with her.” Luke’s nonanswer is answer enough for Ray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can stay with her for the rest of the night. Come talk to me in the morning.” Ray shuts Julie’s bedroom door behind him, going into the kitchen. He digs through the junk drawer there, finally pulling out a key. He looks down at it before nodding to himself, setting the key down by the coffee maker. “He’s good for her.” Ray huffs. “Even if he doesn’t wear a shirt enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> <span>*</span> <span>*</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the morning, when Julie comes down the stairs, she’s holding Luke’s hand. She’s also clearly not fully awake. Ray leans against the counter, his coffee in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you doing this morning, mija? Feeling better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods absently. “Bad dream, but Luke made it better. He makes everything better,” she mumbles into Luke’s chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good. I wanted to talk to you guys about this.” Luke hugs Julie tighter, worried that Ray has a problem with his presence. “So, I’m getting the feeling that you can’t answer the door when you’re in the middle of an attack. Is that right, mija?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie turns around in Luke’s arms, her back to his chest. She seems more awake now, which is good. She has to be functional for this conversation. “It’s the weirdest thing, Papí. Like, I know it’s Luke on the other side of the door and I know that he can help and I want him to help but I can’t make myself move to the door. It’s really frustrating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray nods, contemplating this. “It’s activation energy, I think. You know that answering the door to let Luke in will help but your energy is so caught up in your attack that you can’t pull together enough to start getting up. If you could stand up, then I think walking to the door and opening it wouldn’t be so hard, but starting the task seems big.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That makes sense,” Julie hums in consideration. “Luckily, you can open the door for us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about. I’m always here for you, mija, even in the middle of the night, but if all I’m doing is being woken up to open the door and then go back to bed, I’d rather sleep.” Ray picks the key up from the counter and hands it to Luke. “Do not abuse this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s jaw drops. “Is this…” He can’t get the full sentence out, but Ray knows what he’s asking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A key to the house? Yeah. If Julie is struggling, you can let yourself in to help her. The key is not permission to sneak in for random sleepovers or whatever. Use it responsibly, okay, guys?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie tugs on Luke’s arms until he releases her, at which point she launches herself at Ray. “Thank you, Papí!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for trusting me, Ray.” Luke’s voice cracks on the word ‘trusting’ but no one comments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos chooses that moment to come stumbling into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He looks around the room, blinks, then frowns. “Who’s he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carlos, this is my boyfriend, Luke. Luke, this is my brother, Carlos.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The ghost hunter? Nice to meet such a hardworking young man. Ghost hunting is important business, after all.” Luke and Carlos exchange a fist bump.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like you,” Carlos decides. “Why are you here so early, though? Julie isn’t even dressed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had a nightmare, hermanito,” Julie informs her brother. “Luke came over to calm me down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the middle of the night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, little man. When someone means as much to you as Julie means to me, you’d do anything for her. Just wait until you get a girlfriend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, thanks,” Carlos does not look impressed. “Girls have cooties.” He contemplates that statement for a moment. “Except for Julie because she can drive. Once you get your license, you stop having cooties.” Julie and Luke exchange a skeptical look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that how that works?” Julie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Author does not share Carlos' beliefs on cooties. Cooties do not exist.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Movie Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Certain words are exchanged.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Credit to JackONeillisTheMan for Julie's nickname for Luke. Read A Moment of Quiet Conversation if you haven't already!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ray’s determination to get to know his daughter’s boyfriend under circumstances where he will be wearing a shirt leads to a family movie night being implemented. He fails to consider that, of course, Julie and Luke will be curled up together on the couch, but at least Luke has a shirt on, right? He sighs. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> cute together, if he ignores the fact that Julie is his baby girl and shouldn’t ever be curled up with a boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Luke, what movie do you want to watch?” Ray asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos frowns. “Why does he get to pick?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s his first movie night with us, mijo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks down at his girlfriend, who grins back up at him from her place under his arm. He leans down to whisper something in her ear and her eyes light up. Luke groans. “Fine, boss, we’ll watch it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gracias, mi alma,” Julie murmurs, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. Ray’s jaw drops. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie, what did you just call him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mi alma?” Julie flushes. It’s one thing to call Luke that in private, but her dad actually knows what that means.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does he know what that means?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t told him, so unless he googled it…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t. I promised you I’d let you tell me when you were ready and I always keep my promises. I’m dying to know, though, especially after your dad’s reaction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray stands up. “Come on, Carlos, let’s give them a minute.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos jumps up. “Can we make popcorn?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, mijo.” They retreat into the kitchen and Luke adjusts his position so that he’s facing Julie, holding her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, why is your dad reacting like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “When I was a freshman, Flynn and I went through a classic romance novels phase. We read basically everything by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. One of the books we read was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wuthering Heights</span>
  </em>
  <span>. While Heathcliff and Catherine were a super toxic relationship, there was a quote in it that we decided was couple goals outside the context of the book. ‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.’ We decided that the people we end up with, well, we wanted to be with someone who was so in tune with us that our souls were the same. The person that I fall in love with will share a soul with me. Papí knows all about this, we weren’t subtle at all, so when I called you mi alma, it startled him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you need to tell me what mi alma means,” Luke says softly, squeezing Julie’s hands. He thinks he’s figured it out, but he needs to hear her say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mi alma. My soul.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s eyes widen. He was right, but it was still a huge deal to hear her say it. “Does this mean…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Julie looks away, feeling like she’s just ruined everything. “I love you.” She pauses. “You don’t have to say it back or anything, I know you probably don’t-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, no, stop thinking like that. I love you, too, boss.” Julie’s eyes widen. She searches Luke’s face for any sign of hesitance. Finding none, she climbs into his lap and presses her lips to his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You love me.” The wonder and disbelief in Julie’s voice saddens Luke. Why is she so uncertain of his feelings? How could he not love her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do. Jules, I love you so much. It breaks my heart that you seem so surprised.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t apologize, Jules. I just… how can I help you understand?” Luke kisses Julie’s hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me. Show me. I mean, I know you care about me, but I don’t get why. I’m a mess!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke huffs. “And I’m not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie concedes the point. “But you’re also, like, an actual adult with a job and your own place and I’m just a random high schooler.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, first of all, you’re an adult, too. You’re eighteen, babe. That makes you an actual adult whether you feel like one or not. If it helps, I’m twenty-one and I don’t feel like an actual adult, either. You’re graduating in a few months, too, Jules, and then you’re going to get famous. You won’t be a ‘random high schooler.’ You’ll be Julie Molina of Julie and the Phantoms and that’s gonna be really impressive when we’re at the Grammys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, boss. I’d do anything for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray chooses that moment to return with a bowl of popcorn. “Did you tell him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Julie smiles up at Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did he say it back?” Ray knows the answer to that. He can see it in Luke’s eyes, but he has to make sure his daughter isn’t heartbroken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir. How could I not love your daughter? I mean, she’s literally perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos mimes puking as he takes his seat on the couch. “Julie? Perfect? She’s the reason we’re going to be watching High School Musical again. I know that wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Promposal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Promposal, everyone!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>song is Can I Have This Dance from HSM3.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke wasn’t actually that interested in attending a high school prom. He hadn’t attended his own prom. However, when it occurred to him that Julie might want to attend her prom, he asked her if she was going. Julie gave him a super noncommittal answer, saying that she wasn’t sure and that it wasn’t a big deal. This seemed suspicious to Luke because normally she would have said yes or no, so he reached out to Flynn over social media.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Upon realizing that Julie did, in fact, want to attend her prom, he got to work. Obviously he had to ask her with a song. He’s Luke and she’s Julie. Of course there had to be a song, but what song? Julie had recently made him watch the High School Musical movies at the Molinas’ weekly family movie night and he vaguely remembered a song that might work, so he looked it up. The problem was that it was a duet and he couldn’t duet with Julie during a promposal for Julie. That’s when Alex gets dragged into this.</p><p>“Please, Alex?” Luke begs. “If you won’t do it for me, will you do it for Julie? It would make her so happy! She’d love you forever…”</p><p>“Ugh, fine, but I won’t be happy about it.” </p><p>When Reggie finds out about the promposal, he decides that he needs to help and therefore offers to dig out his dad’s old boombox to play the instrumentals for them. Luke suggests that a better contribution would be to videotape the whole thing, but Reggie is stubborn, so they compromise. Luke will use Reggie’s dad’s boombox but Reggie will take the  video.</p><p>When Flynn finds out about the clusterfuck that is Luke’s promposal plan, she decides to intervene. Luke has good intentions but she can tell that this is going to be a mess. She convinces Julie to sleep over at her house the night before Promposal Day so that Luke can get the studio set up for it. She also keeps Julie away while Luke and Alex rehearse, the latter complaining the whole time.</p><p>Finally, it’s time. Luke sends Julie a text asking her to meet him in the studio when she gets back from Flynn’s, and is mimicking Alex’s model strut as he paces the studio.</p><p>“What if she says no?” Luke asks. Alex and Reggie, who are watching with amused compassion, exchange a look.</p><p>“I didn’t think you actually wanted to go to prom,” Alex points out.</p><p>“I don’t care about prom specifically, but if we go, Julie will get all dressed up and I’ll get to spend the whole night with her in my arms and... what if she says no?”</p><p>“Dude, chill. You’re not actually proposing.” Reggie sighs. Luke tenses as they hear Flynn’s loud chatter approach. That means that Julie’s coming and it’s time.</p><p>Flynn tugs open one of the doors to the studio and gestures for Julie to enter first. Reggie hits record on his- Ray’s- camera, sets it on its stand, and then hits play on his boombox. Flynn starts a livestream on Julie and the Phantoms Instagram, which has garnered quite a following in the past few months.</p><p>One of Alex’s conditions for participating in the Promposal was that he get to dance, so Luke walks up to him, holding out a hand. “Take my hand, take a breath/ Pull me close and take one step/ Keep your eyes locked on mine/ And let the music be your guide.”</p><p>Luke isn’t sure if Julie’s giddy laughter at the beginning of their little show is a good sign or not, but he’s a performer, so he stays in character, starting to slow dance with Alex. As the song continues, Julie cuts in, dancing with Alex now. Luke keeps singing, a scowl on his face. Alex takes pity on him (and realizes that if Julie dances with Luke, he can get out of this whole mess), and spins Julie into Luke’s arms. Julie picks up the singing, taking over Gabriella’s part. Luke seamlessly switches to Troy’s lines as they finish the song.</p><p>As they step back from each other, Luke goes down on one knee, pulling a ring pop out of his pocket. “Julie Molina, will you let me take you to your prom?” Luke asks.</p><p>Julie bursts into laughter, but nods. “Yeah. Luke, that was awesome!” She squeals. </p><p>“I’m glad you liked it,” he replies, standing up. He slides the ring pop onto Julie’s finger and she carefully avoids letting it touch his hair as she throws her arms around him.</p><p>“Thank you.” She pulls away from Luke before he’s ready and hugs Alex, too. “Thanks, Alex. What did Luke have to promise you to get you to do that?”</p><p>“He’s doing my dishes for a month.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank my friend echocharm for the double update. They convinced me to post this tonight instead of waiting for tomorrow.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Willex and Work</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Willie is introduced!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke was frustrated. It had been a painfully slow day at The Vault that day (he blamed the rain) and he was painfully bored. He’d been texting Julie but she wasn’t being super responsive and even being surrounded by music wasn’t distracting him from his misery. The bell on the door rings then and Luke looks up, hoping that the person coming in needs a lot of help. (Actually, that might be worse. He’ll have to think about that one.)</p><p>“Julie!” He gasps, hopping over the counter to give her a hug. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“You were bored, so I figured I’d bring you some company.”</p><p>“Best. Girlfriend. Ever,” Luke declares.</p><p>“Wait till you see who else is coming,” Julie smirks at him as Alex and Reggie enter, the former carrying a tray of drinks and the latter his bass.</p><p>“The guys are here, too?”</p><p>“You bet we are!” Reggie grins at Luke. “Julie said you were bored, so here’s your entertainment.”</p><p>Reggie pulls his bass out of the case. He slings the strap over his shoulder and Julie sits down at the keyboard they keep in the store for open-mic nights. Alex moves over by the counter, drumsticks in hand.</p><p>“<em> Sometimes I think I’m falling down/ I wanna cry, I'm calling out/ For one more try to feel alive/ And when I feel lost and alone/ I know that I can make it home/ Fight through the dark and find the spark...” </em></p><p>Luke smiles at his friends, playing the chords of <em> Bright </em> on an air guitar. He starts singing when it gets to his part, fingers itching for the strings they should be pressing. As the song rises in tempo and energy, Luke sees his boss coming out of the backroom. He waves his hands, signalling for the band to stop playing, which they do in a discordant screech.</p><p>“Hey, Luke, who was that? They sound good.” The man holding the boxes hadn’t realized that the music was live.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“The music you just had playing. What’s the name of-” He crashes into Alex, both falling back onto their rear ends, the records in the boxes going everywhere. “Shit!”</p><p>Luke rushes to help pick up the records. “Willie, this is my friend Alex, he plays drums for our band.”</p><p>“A drummer, huh? That’s hot.” Alex turns bright red and Julie giggles. This draws Willie’s attention to her, and, by proxy, Reggie, who is standing next to her.</p><p>“That’s Reggie, he’s our bass player, and that’s my girlfriend, Julie. She’s got a voice like a wrecking ball and she writes our songs with me.” </p><p>Julie jumps onto Luke’s back, clamping a hand over his mouth. He staggers under the sudden weight. “Willie’s trying to flirt with Alex, mi alma. Let it happen!” She hisses in his ear.</p><p>Luke’s eyes widen. He pries Julie’s hand off of his face and she lets herself slide off of his back. “Wait, seriously?”</p><p>“Yes, Luke, I’m trying to flirt with your drummer. Now, go make out with your girlfriend or sort records or something. Let me be!”</p><p>“You- okay.” Luke grabs Julie by the hand and leads her over to the couch in the corner that people can listen to music on. He pulls her down onto his lap and kisses her neck.</p><p>“Luke!” Julie swats him away.</p><p>“What? My manager told me to make out with you so I’m just doing my job.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her and she smiles, despite herself.</p><p>“Yeah, but I wanna watch Alex get flirted with!” Luke glances over at where Willie is flipping his hair over his shoulder and Alex is playing with the strings on his hoodie, face still red, and has to agree.</p><p>“Okay, they're cute.”</p><p>Julie notices that Alex, while seeming interested, still looks super nervous, so she decides to lighten the mood. “<em> There you see him/ Sitting there across the way/ He don’t got a lot to say/ But there’s something about him/ And you don’t know why/ But you’re dying to try/ You wanna kiss the guy... </em>”</p><p>Luke bursts out laughing, then starts singing with Julie. “<em> Yes, you want him/ Look at him, you know you do/ It’s possible he wants you, too/ There is one way to ask him/ It don’t take a word/ Not a single word/ Go on and kiss the guy... </em>”</p><p>Alex is glaring at them, but then Willie starts laughing, too, and he relaxes. He holds out a hand and Willie takes it. Alex spins him under his arm and they start to dance. Reggie joins in on the singing, and by the last verse, Willie and Alex are singing, too.</p><p>As they finish the song, Alex turns to Willie and says, “I’m not kissing you right now, though. You gotta take me to dinner first.”</p><p>“Yes! Get it, Alex!” Julie cheers. </p><p>Willie grins. “You busy tonight?”</p><p>“We’ve got...” Alex trails off at Julie’s glare.</p><p>“We’re cancelling practice so you guys can go on a date, right, Luke?” Luke looks horrified at the idea of cancelling practice, but he can’t say no to Julie and nods.</p><p>“Yeah, dude, go on your date.” He sighs. “Julie and I can just... write or something.”</p><p>“Oh, hey, Luke, you never answered me,” Willie starts. “Who was that band that was playing when I walked in?”</p><p>“I didn’t have anything playing...” Julie smacks the back of Luke’s head. </p><p>“Luke, you’re so lucky you can play guitar.” He frowns, looking confused. “The band? That was us! We were playing, mi alma, remember?”</p><p>“Wait, that was you guys?” Willie looks excited. “You’re really good!”</p><p>“You think so?” Alex asks.</p><p>“I know so.” Willie winks at Alex. “What are you guys called?”</p><p>“Julie and the Phantoms, tell your friends!” Reggie announces. The rest of the band groans.</p><p>“You guys wanna play something?” Willie suggests. “We’ve got those drums in the corner, and that keyboard for open mic nights. It’s not like we’ve got any customers anyway.”</p><p>Luke jumps up, Julie barely avoiding being dumped on the floor. “Yes! We’re cancelling band practice tonight, so we definitely need to play now.”</p><p>“Great! Play that song that you were doing earlier,” Willie suggests.</p><p>Luke grabs his guitar from the back room (he doesn’t go anywhere, even work, without it). Reggie, Julie, and Alex get ready to play and Alex counts them in. Alex is thrilled to see Willie bopping along to the music and <em> Bright </em> turns into <em> Stand Tall </em> which turns into <em> Edge of Great </em>. </p><p>Eventually, Julie and Luke return to the couch to work on new lyrics. Willie leans on the counter next to Alex. When their hands brush, Alex feels himself go into full-on gay panic, but Willie just grins at him and tangles their fingers together. Alex is surprised to feel himself calming down instantly. </p><p>Julie is scribbling away in her song book and Luke takes a quick picture of her. She looks up, startled, at the flash. “Did you just take a picture of me?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Luke smirks at her. “You look beautiful. I couldn’t help myself.”</p><p>“Luke, I’m a mess!”</p><p>“You still look beautiful.” He taps on his phone screen, then Julie’s phone buzzes. Luke had posted the photo on Instagram with the caption 'I love you. That is all.'</p><p>Julie sighs. “I guess I can forgive you just this once...”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Luke's Insta post on my Tumblr @knitsessed</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. A Night to Remember</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>So, not the prom scene I had planned...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Julie wasn’t quite sure why she was nervous, but she was. She puts the finishing touches on her makeup and picks up her little purse just as the doorbell rings. She hurries down the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, you have a key! You don’t need to ring the doorbell, mi alma!” She sighs. Luke doesn’t respond, too busy staring at her, jaw at his knees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, Julie, you look... I have no words.” Julie flushes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You clean up pretty well yourself,” she replies. “You ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, no! You guys can’t go yet!” Ray interrupts. “Mija, I’m a professional photographer. I have to take pictures. I just have to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie and Luke pose together for Ray’s seemingly infinite number of pictures. Finally, Julie is able to extract them from her father’s clutches and they head outside, where Alex’s car is waiting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you have to promise him to get him to loan you his car?” Julie asks as they climb in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He gets to be the best man when we get married.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When?” Julie looks surprised. Luke panics, reaching into his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, uh, I wasn’t going to do this tonight.” He pulls out a ring box. “I bought this a while ago and I just... I love you, Julie. I want to spend forever with you. Will you marry me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is so shocked that she doesn’t respond for a solid minute. Luke starts freaking out. “It’s okay if you say no, I mean, you’re still in high school and we’ve only been dating for like five months. We can wait or we can just not or whatever you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Julie smiles. “I’d marry you tonight if I could.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s responding smile is bright enough to light up all of LA for a month. “You know, we could get married tonight.” He muses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, how attached are you to actually attending prom?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not very?” Julie has no idea where Luke is going with this, but wherever he goes, she will follow. Forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pulls out his phone. He types some things into his gps app and grins. “Vegas is about four hours’ drive from here. Your dad isn’t expecting you back tonight. We could go to Vegas, get married, and come back in one night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you serious?” Luke’s smile falters at that. Before he can get too anxious, Julie grins. “Let’s do this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, pick a venue,” he says, handing her his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to get a license, first,” she points out, plugging in the Clark County Marriage License Bureau in the GPS. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke smiles at her. “This is why I love you. I come up with a hairbrained plan to elope to Vegas and you figure out how to actually do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you, too, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the GPS is set up and they’re on the road, Julie pulls up a playlist on her spotify. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jukebox &lt;3.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Love song after love song plays as they make the four-hour drive to get married. Julie and Luke sing along, laughing and joking around. The time flies by and they get all giddy when they see the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Welcome to Las Vegas</span>
  </em>
  <span> sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re actually doing this!” Luke shouts, excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s phone buzzes for the fiftieth time and she finally checks it. “It’s Flynn. She wants to know where I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you gonna tell her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Julie decides. “We’re gonna keep this a secret because my dad would flip out if he knew. And if we tell Flynn, she’s gonna tell my dad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke considers that. “You’ve got a point,” he concedes. “So what are you going to tell her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are the guys in your apartment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Alex went over to Willie’s and Reggie has an overnight shift.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we went to your apartment and watched movies all night.” Luke laughs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan, boss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn starts yelling as soon as Julie picks up the call. “</span>
  <b>You’re ditching prom to watch movies with your boyfriend? You really think I’m going to believe that?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think we’re doing, then?” Julie asks Flynn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Oh, my god, are you guys having sex?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke bursts out laughing. “You’re on speaker, Flynn,” Julie informs her. “And no, we’re not having sex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Are you going to?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got other plans for tonight, Flynn,” Luke informs her. The GPS squawks out new directions and Flynn gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>You’re going somewhere you need a GPS for?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Luke’s just a terrible navigator,” Julie says. “I gotta go, we’re almost there.” She hangs up before Flynn can reply. They pull up to the Marriage License Bureau and get out of the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready, Jules?” Julie nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Getting their marriage license is a surprisingly quick process. They’re in and out within fifteen minutes and heading to the chapel shortly thereafter. They chose the one they did because the chapel provides a witness if you don’t have one, which they obviously don’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their next stop is a random jewelry store where they pick out their wedding bands. “We should get a chain, too, so I can wear them around my neck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pouts at that. “But-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, someone is going to notice if we’re suddenly wearing wedding rings. Do you want to deal with telling Papí we eloped to Vegas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not particularly...” The chain is added to their purchase.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wedding is quick, but sweet. They tell the officiant their names, he says a little thing about love, they say their vows, and Luke kisses Julie. The wedding photographer takes a picture of them and they’re officially married.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is practically vibrating with excitement. “You’re my husband!” She squeals, jumping into Luke’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re my wife.” He presses a kiss to Julie’s lips and then checks the time. “Crap, we gotta get going. It’s after midnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The newlyweds climb back into the car and start the return drive. They’re about halfway back to LA when something occurs to Julie. “Alex is going to kill us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you promise him to let you borrow the car?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So maybe we don’t tell the guys, either?” Julie proposes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So are we telling anyone?” Julie shakes her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to, but...” she sighs. “In a year or so, stage a proposal. Then we’ll have another wedding where Alex can be the best man and my dad can walk me down the aisle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan, boss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finally make it back to Luke’s apartment, they don’t even change out of their prom outfits. They just collapse on his bed and fall asleep, Luke holding his new wife close for their first night together as a married couple.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Interrogations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Their first day spent as a married couple is full of deflection. It starts with Alex banging on Luke’s door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, how the hell did you put over 600 miles on my car?” He shouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks at a somehow still sleeping Julie, frantic. “Uh, we didn’t go to prom,” he states the obvious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got that, where did you go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hang on,” Luke says, carefully maneuvering out from under Julie. He tucks a pillow into Julie’s arms before slipping out of the room. “Come on, Jules is still asleep.” He leads Alex into the living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie’s here?” Alex hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we got back at about 4:30 in the morning. I wasn’t going to drop her off at her dad’s that late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys were out until 4:30 this morning?” Alex shakes his head. “I repeat, what the hell were you guys doing last night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We, uh, may have driven to Vegas last night to see the fountain at the Bellagio.” Alex looks like he’s about to pass out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys drove to Vegas!?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. We just barely made it for the last show.” Luke plays it off like it isn’t a big deal, but Alex is nearly hyperventilating. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, you realize how crazy that sounds, right? Why Vegas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie’s always wanted to see the fountain show at the Bellagio, so we decided to do that instead of prom. It was fun.” Alex grabs a pillow off of the couch and screams into it. “You okay, man?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, you drove to Vegas on a whim. You’re still in your tuxedo, and you got about four hours of sleep last night, max. No, I’m not okay. I’ve just realized my best friend is insane.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie takes that moment to come out of his room. “Whoa, things are tense in here. Everything okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This idiot,” Alex does a Vanna White gesture in Luke’s direction, “Drove to Vegas last night with Julie to see a fountain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, the one at the Bellagio?” Alex facepalms. That was not the reaction he was hoping for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re both crazy! You’re all crazy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quiet, Alex, Julie’s still sleeping!” Luke chastises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, because she didn’t get to bed until 4:30 in the morning!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie, still half asleep, comes out of Luke’s room, climbing into his lap. She curls up in his arms, tucking her head into his neck. “You left me. Who authorized that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, love, but Alex wanted to know how we put 600 miles on his car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you tell him?” Julie mumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We went to see that fountain, remember, boss?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, god, was she too exhausted to even remember it? This is why you don’t drive to Vegas and back in one night!” Alex paces the room irritably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You told him we went to Vegas?” Julie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. What else was I supposed to say?” Julie shrugs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously not the truth,” she mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so you didn’t go to Vegas?” Alex snaps. “You’re lying to me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, we’re lying to everyone. No one gets to know where we went.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Reggie asks. “Did you guys murder someone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone, even a still groggy Julie, looks at Reggie like he’s grown a second head. “No, we didn’t kill anyone!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie snuggles back into Luke’s embrace as the bickering continues around her. She even manages to fall back asleep, despite still being dressed in her prom gown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s only when her phone rings that she fully wakes up. “Hi, Flynn,” she answers sleepily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Hi, Flynn? Hi, Flynn? That’s all I get?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>You ditched prom!</b>
  <span>” Flynn shrieks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flynn, I have a very good explanation for why I ditched prom, but I can’t tell you what it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>You can’t tell me? What the hell, Jules?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex wants to know, too! He woke Luke up trying to figure out how we put over 600 miles on his car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>... Julie, how the hell did you guys put 600 miles on Alex’s car?</b>
  <span>” Flynn pauses. “</span>
  <b>Also, why do you know how Luke woke up?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex nearly woke me up, too,” is Julie’s only comment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>I’m hanging up now before you give me a heart attack,</b>
  <span>” Flynn says finally. “</span>
  <b>But you and loverboy better meet me in the studio in ten minutes.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Luke, we better leave. It’s Flynn’s turn to interrogate us and we’re already going to be late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, love, do you have the things?” He wiggles his eyebrows. Alex just looks even more confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, they’re where we discussed.” Luke grins at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t wait until they can be somewhere else,” he says, pressing a kiss to Julie’s forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so I’m driving you guys to wherever it is that this interrogation is going to happen,” Alex declares. “I need to know what the hell happened last night and hopefully Flynn will have better luck getting answers out of you two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke quickly changes out of his wrinkly tuxedo and they all pile into Alex’s car. Alex shakes his head when he looks at the dashboard. “600 miles,” he scoffs. Luke ignores that in favor of staring dopily at Julie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they arrive at Julie’s, Flynn is pacing in the driveway. “Finally!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes widen when she sees that Julie’s still wearing her prom dress, the tulle underskirt crushed and the silk overskirt wrinkled beyond recovery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn pulls Julie into the studio, the guys following. Julie plops down on Luke’s lap, sitting sideways so that she can wrap an arm around her husband’s shoulders. His arm goes around her waist and they stare into each other’s eyes until Flynn snaps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys! Stop being disgustingly cute and tell me why you ditched prom!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We went to Vegas to see the fountain show at the Bellagio.” Julie says this like it’s a nonevent, rather than an eight hour journey, round trip. Flynn’s jaw drops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You drove to Vegas?” Julie nods, distracted by Luke playing with her necklaces. “Luke, stop distracting Julie!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke lets go of the necklace, holding up his now-free hand defensively. “We’re not gonna tell you guys anything. If you want to know what we did, you gotta figure it out yourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s right,” Julie adds. “From now on, unless your guess is correct, it will be met with us making out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex cringes. “Is it worth still asking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke is back to playing with the chains around Julie’s neck and that’s when Flynn notices that there are four of them, not the usual three. And at the end of the chain Luke’s playing with are three metal loops. Two are smooth, gold ones and the third is narrower and has...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that an engagement ring?” Flynn blurts out, her eyes huge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie and Luke look at each other nervously. “Um...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god. Please tell me you two didn’t drive to Vegas to get married last night!” Alex shouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be quiet, Alex! We don’t want Ray to hear you.” Luke hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s- that’s not a no,” Reggie stutters. This is beyond normal levels of Luke’s bad decision making.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a no,” Julie agrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys are literally insane! You drove to Vegas to get married?” Flynn’s voice is getting somewhat screechy and Julie shushes her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke tugs gently at the rings, not hard enough to hurt Julie or break the chain, just enough to attract her attention. “Hey, Jules, since they figured it out, can we wear our rings again? I liked that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie smiles softly up at him. “Help me with the clasp?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nods. She sweeps her hair off of her neck and Luke unclasps the chain with their rings. The sweet smiles on their faces as they slide the rings onto each other’s hands have Reggie cooing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex sinks his elbow into Reggie’s side. “Don’t coo at them! They drove to Vegas and got married! They’re crazy, Reg.” Something occurs to Alex then. “Hey, dude, not cool. You promised me I could be your best man!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn frowns. “You promised me I could be your maid of honor!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t actually plan this, guys. We’ll probably have another ceremony when I’m, like, not in high school, and you guys can be our best man and maid of honor then, okay?” Julie rolls her eyes at their friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fine. New question. When did Luke propose?” Reggie asks. Luke flushes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, about five minutes before we left for Vegas,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, okay, so you really didn’t plan this,” Flynn muses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really didn’t,” Julie confirms. Luke picks up her hand and kisses her knuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No regrets, though, right, Jules?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No regrets.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so obviously the 'let's not tell anyone we got married' plan didn't work out all that well...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Ray's Karma</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Once the guys and Flynn had left, Julie had pointed out to Luke that since their friends knew, it was only a matter of time before Ray knew. She suggested that they tell Ray themselves, in a controlled, deliberate way. Of course, Luke being Luke, this did not go as planned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie drags Luke into the house, yelling for Ray. He comes running down the stairs, frantic. “Is everything okay, mija?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’re fine. We just have to tell you something.” Ray tenses. His teen daughter and her boyfriend are sitting in front of him saying that they need to tell him something. That can’t be good, can it? Especially because Julie is still in her prom dress and it has clearly taken a beating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Ray asks. “No one’s dying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not pregnant! That is literally impossible at this time.” Julie is blushing bright red and Luke hides his face in her hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray sighs. “And the dying thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one is dying, Papí. We just have some news.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We got married last night,” Luke blurts out. Julie facepalms. That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> how they had rehearsed telling her dad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray just... stops. Stops moving, stops blinking, stops breathing, even, for a minute. </span>
  <em>
    <span>God, Rose, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thinks to himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>this is karma, isn’t it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this is not because you’re pregnant or dying?” Ray confirms finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not dying, not pregnant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so talk to me. Why? How? Where? When?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We, uh, we drove to Vegas last night and got married there,” Luke stutters out. “And why? Because I love your daughter, Ray.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grins at Luke, leaning up to kiss his jaw. “I love you, too, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray frowns at them. “I want to be mad at you guys but I can’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s brow furrows. “Why not?” She seems to realize how that might sound, and hurriedly adds, “I mean, I’m glad you’re not mad, but why aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mother and I did the same thing, mija. And she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> pregnant. With you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s jaw drops. “You and Mama eloped?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. We found out she was pregnant and decided that we wanted to raise you in a family together, so we hopped in the car and drove to Vegas.” Ray sighs. “I’m just glad you aren’t pregnant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you and Mama </span>
  <em>
    <span>eloped?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Julie just can’t get past her shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was your mother’s idea.” Ray looks between the two of them. “So, are you moving in, Luke, or is Julie moving into your apartment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s clear to Ray that this conversation has gone nothing like the newlyweds had expected. “Um... We haven’t even thought about that. We, uh, we weren’t going to tell anyone, but then Flynn and the guys found out so we figured it was only a matter of time before you did and we didn’t think you should find out through the grapevine,” Luke says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well, you two talk about that. I’m going to go call Victoria.”</span>
</p><p><span>*</span> <span>*</span> <span>*</span></p><p>
  <span>Tía Victoria comes over immediately after getting off of the phone with Ray. “Julie, mija, what were you thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking that I love Luke and I want to spend forever with him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Victoria sighs. “This is you and Rose all over again, Ray.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I’m pretty sure this is karma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is. At least Julie isn’t pregnant.” Luke flinches every time someone says that, and Julie squeezes his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to worry about that, guys. We’re not having kids.” This news, more than the marriage news, upsets Victoria.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, you’re not having kids?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t want to,” Julie says. “We don’t want to, so we won’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, mija...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tía, a minute ago you were upset because you thought I was pregnant and now you’re upset because I won’t ever be?” Victoria sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were my best bet at anything close to grandkids, mija.” Luke stands up suddenly, fingers tugging at his hair. “Luke, mijo, are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just... give me a minute.” He leaves the room and Julie looks after him worriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up with him?” Ray asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He, uh, the idea of being a parent is terrifying for him. His parents weren’t good to him and he just really doesn’t like talking about kids.” Julie sighs. “I’m gonna go talk to him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She finds Luke sitting on the steps outside the house. He’s fiddling with the ring on his finger, practically vibrating with tension.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay, mi alma?” She asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, I-” He stops talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You what? You can tell me anything, Luke.” She sits down next to him and takes his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared.” Julie’s brow furrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Scared? Of what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I love you so much but I don’t know if I can be what you need.” He frowns. “Your dad was talking about us moving in together and Victoria was talking about us starting a family and it’s all so much and I don’t want to let you down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, you do realize that we’re already married, right?” Julie huffs. “I said yes to you, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>married</span>
  </em>
  <span> you, because I want to be with you, Luke. We don’t need to move in together or have kids or any of that for me to be happy. All I need is you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what if ‘me’ isn’t enough?” He yanks his fingers through his hair again. “I just want you to be happy and I’m worried that I pushed you to get married too fast and that you’re going to regret being with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will once again remind you that I married you. I love you, Luke. It wasn’t just your decision to go to Vegas. I could have said no. I could have stopped things at any step of the way if I didn’t want you, but I do. You’re everything I need, mi alma.” Julie sighs. “You asked me, before we came in to talk to my dad, if I had any regrets. I told you that I didn’t. What changed in the hour we were inside? Why do you have doubts now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Victoria seemed to think that you wanted kids. I just- I don’t want to be the person stopping you from having the family you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grabs Luke by the chin and turns his head so that he’s looking directly at her. “Listen to me, Luke, and listen carefully, because you’re so crazy right now and I hate seeing you like this.” Luke chokes on a laugh, startled. “First of all, Tía knows I don’t want kids. She doesn’t, either, but she wants grandkids. She was banking on me changing my mind so that she could have pseudo-grandkids without having kids. We just burst her bubble, but she wasn’t surprised, Luke. The only family I need is you, baby.” She leans up to press a kiss to his lips. “I have the family I want already. I have a wonderful husband, I have my dad and Carlos and Tía Victoria, I have Alex and Reggie, and I have Flynn. I don’t need anyone else.” She tilts her head to the side, considering. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to having my mom back, but that’s not possible. You aren’t standing in the way of that. You aren’t standing in the way of anything, mi alma. Do you understand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so. I need to work on my insecurities, don’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Yeah, but I’ll be right here to hold your hand while you do, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal. So, back to your dad’s question: do you want to move in with me or should I start packing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really want to live with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, I want to wake up with you in my arms every morning. I don’t care if it’s here or in my apartment, I just want to be with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, that’s sweet.” Julie contemplates the decision at hand. “On the one hand, if you move in here, we have to deal with my dad and Carlos, but if we move into your apartment, we have to deal with Alex and Reggie. The other thing is that if you live here, I don’t want you to have to be paying rent on an apartment you don’t live in. Would Alex and Reggie be able to pay for your place without you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but Willie was thinking about moving in with Alex, so he could make up my third of the rent. If I move in here, they’d probably turn my room into a studio for Willie to do his art in and set up a rehearsal space.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’d like that,” Julie muses. “What are you thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking that I’d like to move in here. Your house is so much nicer than my apartment and we’ve got the studio here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s do that, then. I have an idea, actually.” Luke raises his eyebrow at that. “What if we moved into the studio? We could put a bed up in the loft and then we’d have some privacy from the rest of my family. We could leave our stuff in my room if we need extra storage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke hums thoughtfully. “I like the idea of putting a bed in the studio, but I also feel like we shouldn’t entirely move out there. It feels... invasive to have the guys rehearsing in the space where we...” He wiggles his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie swats at Luke’s arm. “Get your head out of the gutter, Luke. How about we stay in my room, but we create a secret snuggle space in the loft? Put a bunch of pillows and blankets and stuff up there so that we can hide away when we need some time to ourselves?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like that. Want to go tell your dad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It entirely defeats the purpose of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>secret</span>
  </em>
  <span> snuggle space if we immediately go tell Papí, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke rolls his eyes. “I meant that I’m moving in, Jules. I’m not an idiot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes I’m not sure,” Julie says sassily.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. High School Is Hell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Julie has another panic attack but its okay because Luke cuddles with her.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Julie was not happy to be back at school the Monday after prom and the reason for that had a name: Carrie Wilson. Carrie was, for lack of a better word, Julie’s frenemy. They had been best friends as kids, but then when Julie’s mom died, things had gotten tense and now they were more like enemies than friends. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They still follow each other on social media, but they don’t comment or like each other’s posts. This does, however, mean that Carrie knew about Luke’s promposal and when Julie and Luke failed to show up, she took that as an opportunity to make a dig at Julie. Accosting her at Julie’s locker, Carrie, with the Dirty Candy girls backing her up, starts her attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Julie, we missed you at prom,” Carrie says in a voice that can best be described as the taste of off-brand Splenda, plain. It’s so artificially sweet it’s almost painful and it’s about as fake as it’s possible to be. “Did your boyfriend dump you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “Hi, Carrie. No, Luke and I are still together. We just had better things to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Like what? Spending the night on the couch watching movies in sweats?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie rolls her eyes. “So what if we did?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s sad.” Carrie’s shrewd eyes go to Julie’s hands, which are fidgeting with the chain around her neck. Julie and Luke had made the decision that she wouldn’t wear her rings openly to school, in an attempt to prevent the speculation. “You hiding something, Julie? You seem a little... on edge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.” Julie lets her hands fall to her sides, which proves to be a mistake. Her rings, back on their chain, are no longer hidden under her shirt and Carrie notices them immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that- did you-” Carrie can’t believe her eyes. “Did you get married?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No. Why would you think that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a wedding ring on a chain around your neck, Molina. I’m not blind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you must know, Carrie, it’s my mother’s. My dad said I could have it as a way to keep her with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carrie laughs. “That’s not your mother’s ring, Julie. I’ve seen your mother’s ring and that’s not it. The fact that you’re lying about it tells me that you did something stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie huffs. “There’s nothing stupid about marrying Luke.” She claps a hand over her mouth, realizing a moment too late what she’d said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carrie’s eyes widen. She hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> thought that Julie had gotten married. After all, the girl is still in high school. After a long moment, Carrie asks mockingly, “Did he knock you up? Is that why you got married?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We got married because we love each other. I’m not pregnant, Wilson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right... So is that why you bailed on prom night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m done with this conversation.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie shuts her locker and walks away. She barely makes it into the empty girl’s bathroom before the panic attack starts. Carrie </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Carrie knows, and now the whole school is gonna know. Julie isn’t ashamed to be married and she certainly doesn’t regret marrying </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luke</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but high schoolers are vicious and the rumors are probably already spreading. People are going to think the worst of her and she doesn’t want to have to deal with it. At least if Luke was in school with her, he could shield her from the worst of it, but he’s not and he can’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With shaky fingers, Julie manages to get her phone out of her pocket. She somehow holds her phone still enough to send Luke a text. </span>
  <em>
    <span>911.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where are you?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Is the only response she gets.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bathroom.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She types out before dropping her phone onto the floor next to her. Her fingers go to the rings on her necklace, holding them tight. The cold metal reassures her that Luke loves her and that he will be there for her. She just has to wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, within five minutes, Flynn has found her. Flynn, her best friend, who is crouched in front of her, saying something. It takes a few moments before Julie can start to make sense of what Flynn is saying, but her ears catch the name Luke and that draws her attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, Jules, listen to me. Luke is here. He’s outside. They won’t let him into the school though, so we need to go outside to see him. Can you stand up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie climbs to her feet, knees weak. She can feel herself wobbling and is grateful when Flynn tucks her arm around her waist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke,” Julie whispers. “I need Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, honey. I’m gonna bring you to him, okay? That’s where we’re going. We’re going to see Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, the rest of the school is in class and no one sees her staggering out of the school. Pacing outside the main doors, Luke comes to a halt when he sees his wife. His face crumples at the sight of her distress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, love,” He takes over Flynn’s role of supporting Julie, gently scooping her up into his arms. He carries her to Ray’s car (and Ray himself, sitting in the driver’s seat). They had been moving Luke’s stuff into Julie’s room as a surprise and had just finished unloading the last carful when Luke had received Julie’s text. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray frowns. His daughter is distressed and he doesn’t know how to help her. Luke carefully sets Julie down in the backseat. He tugs off his shirt and climbs in next to her. Julie is instantly in her husband’s arms and Ray is relieved to see that her violent shaking is slightly calmed. He starts driving, knowing that Julie won’t want to stay in school after this. He watches the couple in the backseat through the rearview mirror when he can safely do so. Whatever Luke is doing seems to be helping. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s hand is resting over her husband’s heart, the other one clutching his hand and Luke is rubbing her back with his free hand, whispering softly to her. The French again, Ray notes. Slowly, as they near their house, Julie’s hand goes from squeezing Luke’s to running up and down his arms. The hand over his heart starts exploring and Ray looks away. He does </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to see that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pulling into the driveway, Ray parks. “Luke, do you need any help with her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pauses his steady stream of French to reply. “I’ve got her, but can you get the doors? I’m gonna take her up to her room.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The French starts up again as Ray nods. Julie had gotten more agitated when Luke wasn’t murmuring to her and that, Ray thinks, is a sign that he can trust the boy with his daughter. She needs him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray tugs open the car door. Luke climbs out, not losing skin contact with Julie throughout the process of getting them from sitting in the car to standing, carrying Julie bridal style. Luke follows Ray inside the house and up to her room. Somehow, they end up settled comfortably on her bed. Luke is reclined against the headboard, legs sprawled out. Julie is curled up in his lap, her head resting on his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie isn’t shaking anymore, Ray notices with some relief, but she’s not calm, either. One hand is curled up against her chest, fingers clamped around her rings. The other hand is busy adjusting Luke’s arm so that he’s holding her satisfactorily. Tears are still running down her face and she sniffles periodically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Julie is distracted with getting comfortable, Luke turns his attention to Ray. “You might wanna give us a few minutes. When she gets that upset, she tends to get... affectionate once she’s calm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And by affectionate you mean...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very touchy. You probably don’t want to watch.” Ray frowns. Luke, correctly understanding the expression, is quick to try to reassure him. He just doesn’t do a great job of it. “I don’t, like, take advantage of her or anything! I just let her touch me. She likes to feel my chest and arms.” Luke’s face is bright red and he wishes, now more than ever, that he had a better verbal filter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I didn’t need to know that,” Ray decides. “I’m gonna go now. Shout if you guys need anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray watches them for a moment or two longer. Luke is back to babbling in French. Julie’s tears have finally stopped and he starts to understand the ‘touchy’ thing. His daughter has finally released her rings and one arm is around Luke’s shoulders and the other hand is caressing his arm. Yeah, Luke is right. He doesn’t want to watch this.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Shirtless Cuddles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>More Luke being an amazing husband + Ray being a supportive father</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Julie is finally calm, she shifts so that she’s straddling her husband. Her hands start roaming his upper body and he groans. “Jules, as good as that feels, we need to talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie goes stiff in his lap. “What’s there to talk about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened at school? You haven’t gotten that upset in a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carrie.” Luke sighs. He’d had a feeling it had something to do with Carrie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did she do?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “I need-” Her hands start to move over Luke’s body again. “I can’t talk about this without touching you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, baby, just do what you have to do. Take your time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie traces the lines of Luke’s abs several times over, grinning as the muscles tense under her fingers. Finally, she speaks. “She found out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About...” Julie raises an eyebrow at him. “About us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and she’s gonna tell the whole school. She’s convinced we got married because you ‘knocked me up’ and she didn’t believe me when I told her that I wasn’t pregnant.” Julie sighs. “Everyone’s gonna think I’m some kind of... idiot who got pregnant in high school. Or that I got pregnant on purpose so that you wouldn’t leave me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, listen, boss. The people who matter know the truth. They know that we got married because we’re madly in love and we want to spend forever together. There is less than a month left before graduation, so this is what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna start taking you to school. I’ll talk to Willie about adjusting my schedule so I can pick you up, too. You can text or call me anytime you want. I will always answer. You will get through this. After graduation, you will never have to see those assholes again, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie smiles at him. “You’re so sweet.” She kisses his jaw. “How are you going to take me to school? You don’t have a car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a motorcycle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look that Julie gives Luke would terrify anyone else. Luke knows that she loves him, though, so he just smiles at her. “A motorcycle? There’s no way in hell I’m riding a motorcycle!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s perfectly safe. I’m a good driver and we’ll get you a helmet and stuff.” Julie doesn’t look convinced so Luke pulls out his trump card. “You do realize that you’d be sitting behind me, right? You basically get to hold me the whole drive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “Fine. Because I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, too. Now, I think your dad is worried about you. You ready to go talk to him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie pouts. “I’d rather stay here with you.” She presses a series of kisses to Luke’s chest until he pushes her back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, that feels incredible, but you know we gotta go talk to your dad, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they get downstairs, Ray is waiting in the kitchen. “You doing better, mija?” He asks, handing Luke the shirt he’d retrieved from the car. Luke pulls it on. Julie tries not to show her disappointment, but she misses her eye candy immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’m okay now.” Julie’s voice is steady but she sounds drained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Julie hesitates. “Mija, I want to help. I know you don’t want to talk about it but I think you need to.” When Julie still doesn’t respond, he turns to Luke for help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke leans down to whisper in Julie’s ear. Ray only catches every few words, but from what he gathers, Luke is bribing Julie with more shirtless cuddles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carrie,” Julie finally tells Ray. “She cornered me at my locker and insinuated that I ditched prom because Luke broke up with me, so I told her that we had better things to do. She just makes me so frustrated, so I was playing with my rings to stay calm and she noticed. She accused me of doing something stupid, and, like an idiot, I told her that there was nothing stupid about marrying Luke.” Ray winces. “Yeah, not my best move. I mean, it’s true, but she didn’t need to know that. So then she decided that I was pregnant- because why would a high schooler get married if she wasn’t- and she wouldn’t listen when I told her I wasn’t. I ended up walking away and hiding in the bathroom. That’s where Flynn found me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, mija. You’re gonna be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. Luke and I have a plan.” Ray looks surprised at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what might this plan be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s gonna drive me to and from school and I’m gonna text him whenever I need to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Luke doesn’t have a car.” Ray points out the obvious flaw in this plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke has a motorcycle.” Luke says. Julie groans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t ever talk about yourself in the third person again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, boss.” Luke turns back to Ray. “I’m gonna be there for her. It was my idea to get married and I’m going to make sure she doesn’t suffer for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s very noble of you, mijo. Just don’t get fired or anything in the process, okay?” Luke nods. “What can I do to help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can call the school and tell them that I need to be able to have my phone out in class.” Julie knows she can get through this so long as she can talk to Luke. She also knows that her school has a confiscation policy for phones out in class (without permission) and if they confiscate her lifeline, she doesn’t know what will happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do that right away, mija. Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Can I have a hug?” Ray smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” He wraps Julie up in a big hug. He only lets go when she starts to loosen her grip on him. “Okay, go cuddle with your husband. You might as well get some benefits out of the situation that caused this mess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie giggles, grabbing Luke’s hand. She pulls him up the stairs and, after shutting the door, they plop down on Julie’s bed. Luke reaches for his wife but she bats his hand away. “You promised me shirtless cuddles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I did,” Luke agrees. He tugs his shirt off and is shocked when Julie pulls hers off, too. “Jules?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not doing anything more,” she’s quick to clarify, “But I need to feel close to you and I think the skin contact will help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you want.” Julie snuggles into Luke’s arms and tilts her head up to look at him. After she’s been staring at him for a while, he makes a face. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just like looking at you,” she says. “You’re hot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins. “So are you.” He runs his fingers down her side, something he’s done many times over her shirt. She giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That tickles!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing his wife giggling makes Luke smile. He doesn’t like it when she’s upset, so, though he knows she gives as good as she gets, he keeps tickling. They end up rolling around on the bed, wiggling their fingers in each other’s sides and knees and elbows. Finally, when they’re both laughing and red-faced, Luke surrenders. “I give! Make it stop!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You started it,” Julie points out. She gets off the bed and pulls her shirt back on. Luke moves to grab his, but Julie snatches it away. “No, you still owe me shirtlessness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, babe,” he rolls his eyes. “What do you want to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grabs one of Rose’s guitars, the one that lives in her room, and hands it to Luke. “We’re gonna write.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have something already?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, but you haven’t written me a love song, so that’s what we’re gonna do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins. “You think I haven’t written you a love song? Babe, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>married</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. I’ve got a whole book of love songs about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s eyes widen. “Why haven’t I heard any of them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke flushes. “Um, because I didn’t want to overwhelm you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I married you, mi alma,” she retorts. “I think that ship has sailed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well, do you want to hear one now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Duh,” Julie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What would I do without your smart mouth?/ Drawin' me in and you kickin' me out/ You've got my head spinnin', no kiddin'/ I can't pin you down/ What's goin' on in that beautiful mind?/ I'm on your magical mystery ride/ And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me/ But I'll be alright...</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Julie starts crying as Luke sings. When he finishes the song, he has to quickly set the guitar aside so that he can catch Julie as she leaps into his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” she whispers into his neck.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so apparently I am incapable of writing a Jukebox fic that doesn't involve Luke writing All of Me for Julie.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Proof That Luke’s Methods of Comfort Are Not Universally Applicable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Super short chapter. Luke being an dork, basically.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks to DeliriumDreams for the idea!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>That evening, once Reggie and Alex get off of work, the band gathers in Julie’s studio to rehearse. They barely make it through one song, though, before Alex starts just pounding the drums with no real beat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, Alex, you okay, man?” Reggie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” Alex is not fine. He stands up from the drums and starts pacing. “Okay, I’m not fine. Willie and I have been on three dates now and he acts like he’s super into me when we’re together but then he won’t reply to my texts. What does that mean? Does he like me? Does he not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex is spiraling. Luke, who has been comforting a spiraling Julie on and off all day, reflexively tugs his shirt off and walks up to Alex, putting his hands on his shoulders. Alex looks at him with an expression of pure horror. “What the hell are you doing? Put your shirt back on!”</span>
</p><p><span>Julie, sitting at the piano, almost falls off the bench from the force of her laughter. “I’ve trained him well,” she gasps out.  Luke suddenly comes to realize that Julie isn’t the one spiraling, and turns bright red. He quickly pulls his shirt back on and backs away rapidly.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“This is </span><em><span>your</span></em><span> fault?” Alex asks.</span></p><p>
  <span>Julie just laughs harder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, this isn’t funny!” Luke pouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It- it kind of is.” When she finally manages to stop laughing, she turns to Alex, figuring she owes him an explanation. “That’s what he does for me when I’m having a panic attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex’s expression of horror has morphed into one of confusion. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s hot. It’s distracting.” Julie shrugs. “It works, okay? I never thought he’d actually try it on anyone else!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to!” Luke protests. “I spent most of the day doing that for you! It’s a reflex at this point.” This sets Julie back off and this time, Alex and Reggie start laughing, too. Luke glares at all of them. “You’re all terrible people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, mi alma. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” Julie says, coming over to hug him. “I appreciate you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sighs. He can’t stay mad at his wife, especially not when she’s hugging him. And she’s had a really crappy day, so he’s secretly kind of glad to see her laughing, even if it’s at his expense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I forgive you,” he mutters. “But you owe me cuddles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise,” Julie holds out her pinkie. Luke rolls his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need a pinkie promise, Jules. I trust you. Besides, you like cuddling me enough that there's no way you'll back out.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Facing School</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Despite not being fully moved in, Luke spends the night with Julie. She needs the comfort, he decides. When her alarm goes off at six in the morning, though, Luke isn’t thrilled. It sucks because she has to get up, but she’s dreading school so much that Luke has to make her get up. He climbs out of bed and goes to sit at his desk chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t get cuddles until you’re ready for school. When you can just grab your bag and head out the door, then we can cuddle until it’s time to leave,” Luke bargains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie pouts. “But Carrie’s gonna be awful today! I don’t wanna go to school. Can’t I just stay in bed with you all day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got work, babe.” Luke tugs on Julie’s foot. “Come on, Jules. Get up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grumpily, Julie climbs out of bed. She starts changing and Luke gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” She asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you forget I’m in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I know you’re in here.” Luke’s brow furrows. “I’m ready, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke groans, closing his eyes. “You can’t say that when I can’t do anything about it,” he huffs, leaving the room to go get dressed in the bathroom. When they meet back up outside Julie’s room, both now dressed, Luke grins at the sight of her. She’s piled her hair up in a messy bun, she’s wearing her glasses instead of contacts, and her shirt is technically his. She looks adorable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Julie says, handing Luke her rings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you giving me your rings? No take-backs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie giggles. “Everyone already knows, so I’m gonna wear them. You said you like putting them on me, so I thought I’d let you do it, but if you don’t want to...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke snatches the rings out of her grasp. She holds out her hand and Luke finds himself smiling as he slips them onto her finger. “I do like doing that,” he says, kissing her finger where the rings rest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you do.” She tugs at his hand until he holds it up for her. She slides his ring off, then slips it back on. “I wanted a turn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos, who had been standing there, trying to get past them to the stairs, mimes gagging. “You guys are disgusting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins at Carlos. “Just wait until you fall in love,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no thanks. I don’t wanna be that mushy. Anyway, girls have cooties. We’ve discussed this, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Suit yourself, little man. Julie doesn’t have cooties so I’m free to be as mushy as I want with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all head down the stairs to the kitchen, where Ray is cooking breakfast. “Good morning, everyone!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning, </span>
  <span>Papí,” Julie says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray hands a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast to all three of his children. As they eat, something occurs to Ray. “Luke, do your parents know about Julie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke chokes on his bite of toast. He coughs for a minute with Julie patting his back. “Um, no, actually. I only talk to them like twice a year. The last time was about a week before I met her, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you should tell them,” Ray says softly. “You got married, mijo. I think they’d like to know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sighs. “I was actually going to call them today. It’s my mom’s birthday.” He turns to Julie. “If I tell them about you, they’re gonna want to meet you. You up for that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “Yeah, but, Luke, I won’t be mad if you don’t want to tell them. They didn’t want to be part of your life if it wasn’t the life they had planned for you, so you don’t have to let them in. It’s up to you. I’ll support you either way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll think about it,” he says finally. He glances at the time on the microwave. “Oh, shit, we gotta go, babe.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A frown settles on Julie’s face. “Do we have to...” She whines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, mija, you have to go to school,” Ray shuts the ditching plan down. Luke stands up, holding a hand out to Julie, who takes it, her ring catching in the light. “Oh, mija, your ring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The whole school probably knows by now, Papí. I’m proud to be Luke’s wife and I will wear my ring openly.” Luke kisses Julie far more passionately than Ray would like to see, but he forgives it because when they pull apart, Julie is smiling again. “Bye, Papí, Carlos.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye, Julie,” Carlos waves, turning back to his food. “Bye, Luke.”</span>
</p><p><span>Luke has to kiss Julie again before she’ll agree to get on his motorcycle, but once they’re moving, she has to admit, if only to herself, that it’s not as scary as she thought it would be. It’s kind of fun, being pressed up tight against Luke.</span><span><br/></span> <span>When they pull up in front of Los Feliz High School, Julie carefully gets off the bike. Luke gets off, too, letting the bike rest on its kickstand. Julie takes off her helmet, setting it on the ground next to her. He takes his helmet off and hangs it on the bike’s handles. He leans down and kisses Julie goodbye.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Text or call me if you need me, babe, okay? I’ll come get you if it really gets that bad. I love you.” Julie leans up for another kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you, too. Bye, mi alma. I’ll see you after school.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie picks up her helmet, tucks it under her arm, and heads into school. She goes straight to her locker, which is now papered with random pictures of babies, a ‘we’re expecting’ balloon taped to it. Julie rolls her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carrie approaches, then, a wicked grin on her face. “Do you like it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you yesterday, Carrie, I’m not pregnant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, you’re not.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie ignores the other girl, setting the motorcycle helmet on the ground and spinning the padlock to let herself into her locker. She puts her backpack inside and pulls out the notebook she needs for her first class. The helmet, unfortunately, does not fit inside the locker when she tries, so she sets it back on the ground. Carrie catches sight of Julie’s hand as she slams her locker shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god. You’re wearing the ring?” Carrie smirks. “Wow...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I am. You’ve probably told the whole school about Luke and I so I figured, why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not embarrassed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie huffs. “Of course not. I love Luke and I’m proud to be his wife.” She sighs. “We were only going to hide it to keep people like you from butting into our business.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Molina. You do you.” Carrie rolls her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Patterson,” Julie corrects immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Carrie looks confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My </span>
  <em>
    <span>name</span>
  </em>
  <span> is Julie Patterson. Get it right.” Julie picks up the helmet and stalks off to her first class, which, unfortunately, Carrie is also in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what’s with the helmet?” Carrie’s sort-of boyfriend, Nick, asks. “You get a motorcycle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, uh, my husband has one, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your husband, huh?” Nick raises an eyebrow. “When did you get hitched?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We ditched prom to go to Vegas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You had a Vegas wedding?” Carrie snorts delicately. “How tacky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter what you think, Carrie. Luke and I are happy and that’s all I care about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bet your dad was pissed, though,” Nick muses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, actually, he thought it was fitting karma.” Julie grins. “Apparently my parents eloped to Vegas, too. My mom </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> pregnant, though. I’m not, despite what Carrie seems to think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn, who had entered the room just in time to hear that, gasps. “Rose and Ray eloped?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I was shocked, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn notices the motorcycle helmet by Julie’s feet then. “Whoa. You rode a motorcycle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Luke’s.” Flynn’s eyes get big.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke has a bike? That’s hot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, right? It’s actually surprisingly fun to ride.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I bet. You gotta hold onto him pretty tight, don’t you?” Flynn wiggles her eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie flushes. “That’s not the worst part,” she concedes. Carrie huffs, annoyed at being ignored, but before she has time to say anything, Mrs. Harrison starts class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so today, we’re splitting into pairs for our final project. I’ve assigned you all to someone I think would compliment you well, whether during the writing portion or the performing portion, and these pairings are nonnegotiable.” Several people groan. “I’m going to read off the pairings now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carrie gets partnered with Kayla, a girl from Dirty Candy. Flynn gets partnered with Nick. Finally, Julie is the only one left. “Now, we have an odd number of students so, Julie, come talk to me. Everyone, start brainstorming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie walks over to Mrs. Harrison’s desk. “So, what am I doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand that you’re in a band, is that right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie and the Phantoms, tell your friends.” Julie groans, facepalming. “God, I’ve become Reggie.” She sighs. “What were we talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Harrison chuckles. “Your songs as a band are all originals, yes?” Julie nods. “Do you write them alone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, um, my husband and I co-write them, typically. Sometimes one of us will write something individually, but that’s pretty rare. Normally those songs are gifts.” She flushes. “Luke wrote me the most beautiful love song.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke is your husband?” Mrs. Harrison tries to hide her shock, but it seeps through. “You’re married?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Luke and I got married over the weekend. Anyway, what were you saying about our songs?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, first, congratulations on your marriage. I was going to suggest that you and Luke write a song for your band. I understand that it will likely not be possible for you to bring in the rest of the band to perform it, so if you can get me a video recording, or at least an audio file, that will be an acceptable substitute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s eyes widen. “Okay... So what will I be doing in class while everyone is writing and practicing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be excused from class. If you can, I would suggest writing with Luke during that time, but I understand that he might have other obligations. Either way, so long as you turn something in for all of the deadlines, you will not have to come to school prior to your second period class.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awesome! Thanks, Mrs. Harrison.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. You’re one of our most gifted students and I can’t wait to see what you achieve after graduation. Now, go call your husband.” Mrs Harrison gets up, before turning back to face Julie. “Oh, I’m requiring you to write something new for this. Please don’t turn in one of your existing songs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem.” Julie steps out into the hallway and hits Luke’s name on her speed dial.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Jules, are you okay?</b>
  <span>” Luke asks immediately upon picking up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, mi alma. I just need your help with something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Of course, boss. I’d do anything for you.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, babe... That’s sweet. I don’t think you’ll object to this, though. Remember how I told you about our composition/ performance project for the music program?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Yeah?</b>
  <span>” Luke vaguely recalls something about that. “</span>
  <b>What about it?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have an odd number of students in our class, so Mrs. Harrison suggested that I write something for Julie and the Phantoms. You’re my partner for this assignment, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Really? How is that gonna work though? Like, I’m happy to write with you, but am I supposed to come to class with you or?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m just excused from my first period for the remainder of the semester, so long as I continue to submit drafts and such on time. We can write whenever, I mean, we live together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie can hear the smile in her husband’s voice as he says, “</span>
  <b>That we do. How about we do some writing when I pick you up?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan. I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>I love you, too, boss. I gotta go, though, a customer just came in. Call me if you need me.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do! Bye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They hang up at the same time and Julie reenters the classroom, heading over to Mrs. Harrison, where she’s standing near Flynn and Nick, listening as Nick says something. When the brief conversation is over, Julie taps Mrs. Harrison on the shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Julie. Did you get through to your husband?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Luke says he’s happy to help. He’s at work, though, so we’re going to wait until after school to start. In the meantime, I’ve got some lyrics stuck in my head that I’m gonna write down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course! Can I hear what you’ve got?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie flushes. “It’s, uh, kind of personal. I need Luke to be the first to hear it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Harrison nods sagely. “A love song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Julie spins her wedding band around on her finger, smiling absently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, if and when you’re ready to share it, I’d love to hear it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie smiles. “Maybe it can be my assignment?” She bites her lip. “It’s a duet, though. I don’t think we’ll have the whole band for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it’s just you and Luke, that’s fine, Julie. The expectation is that you and another person perform together. I only suggested the whole band because I thought that might be easier for you, but a duet would be great, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bell rings then, signalling the end of class. Flynn comes up to Julie and they head to their next class, which they fortunately share. The rest of the day goes quickly and as smoothly as Julie could have hoped. The stares and whispers are annoying, but she just focuses on how much she loves Luke and how happy she is to be with him and she makes it through. His sweet texts that she gets sporadically throughout the day help, too.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Meeting the Folks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Luke picks Julie up from school, she jumps into his arms almost as soon as she steps outside. She barely takes a moment to drop her backpack and set down her helmet before she’s being swung around in Luke’s arms. “I knew you’d get through this! I’m so proud of you, babe,” he cheers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You helped me so much, mi alma. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Julie kisses Luke softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he pulls away, he sighs. “You absolutely could have, but now it’s your turn to help me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to wait to call my mom until you could hold my hand while I did it. I’m gonna tell her about you, boss, and I need you there when I do it.” Julie smiles at her husband, pressing a kiss to his jaw. He studies her face, looking for... something. He’s not sure what. The confidence that he wishes he could feel?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would be honored to hold your hand. I do have a counter-proposal, though. I think we should tell them in person.” Luke tenses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In person? I haven’t seen them in almost four years, babe. I don’t know if-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t finish that sentence. You can do </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Luke, and I will be right there with you.” Julie kisses his chest over his heart. “Besides,” she says, pulling back, a vulnerable gleam in her eyes, “I want to meet them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Luke is honestly kind of scared to introduce the girl that has become his life so quickly to the people who have never supported any part of his life. What if they don’t like Julie? He mentally facepalms. His parents will love Julie. How could anyone not?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because, babe. They made my favorite person in the world. I need to thank them for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Okay, boss, let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Julie’s smile is bright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. We gotta go before I can lose my nerve, though, so get on the bike.” Julie picks her backpack up and puts it on, then puts her helmet onto her head. Luke straddles the bike and Julie swings her leg over it, climbing on behind him. The bike rumbles as it speeds out of the parking lot, carrying the couple to the Pattersons’ house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they arrive, Luke is tense. Julie clammers off of the motorcycle and holds out a hand for Luke. He sighs, getting off and leaning the bike on its kickstand. They drape their helmets over the rearview mirrors and turn to face the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie stares at the house where her husband grew up for a moment before turning to face him. She cups his cheeks in her hands and smiles at him. “You can do this, Luke. I will be right there beside you the whole time, okay, mi alma?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” He takes a deep breath. “I just... Can I hug you for a minute first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Luke wraps Julie up in a tight hug, burying his face in her hair. Like Luke has done for Julie many times, she takes long, slow breaths. “Copy my breathing, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke breathes in and out at the same tempo as Julie, then, with one, final, shuddering breath, he releases her. “Okay. Let’s do this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes Julie’s hand and lets her lead him to the front door. “Do you trust me?” Julie asks him when he hesitates to ring the doorbell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With my life.” He rings the doorbell. Julie drapes his arm around her shoulders, tucking herself into his side. Luke obviously needs more comfort than holding her hand can provide. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Mitch finally comes to the door, he looks startled. “Luke! What are you doing here?” Mitch shakes his head. “That came out wrong. Come in, son.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks down at Julie nervously. She nods. “Thanks, Dad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emily is sitting on the couch, knitting in hand, and looks up when Mitch leads them in. “Luke! You came home!” She gasps. “And you brought a friend!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy birthday, mom,” Luke chokes out. “I’m sorry I don’t have a present for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Baby, seeing you again is a gift enough in and of itself. Are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wife,” Luke corrects. “This is Julie. My wife.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emily’s hand goes to her heart. “You- you got married?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I got married. On Saturday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie tugs on Luke’s hand, drawing his attention to her. “I think it was technically Sunday by the time we actually got married, mi alma.” Luke tilts his head, considering. “We started the ceremony at midnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke turns back to face his parents. “Correction: we got married on Sunday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you didn’t invite us?” Emily looks hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mrs. Patterson, we didn’t invite </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We ditched my prom to drive to Vegas. The chapel had to provide a witness for us because it was literally just the two of us. My dad didn’t find out until Sunday night after we got back and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, congratulations, son.” Mitch says finally. “I’d love to get to know the girl who has captured your heart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I agree,” Emily declares. “Why don’t we sit down and chat?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mitch and Emily take the couch and Luke sits down on the armchair, Julie on his lap. She’s sitting sideways so that she’s facing Luke’s parents. Luke is still tense, so Julie cards her fingers through his hair. He slowly relaxes under her touch and is soon able to breathe easily again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Julie, tells us about yourself.” Mitch waves his hand in a ‘the floor is yours’ gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, what do you want to know?” She asks warily. She’s never been good at answering those vague questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, how did you and Luke meet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Luke doesn’t like this story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person in question huffs. “Well, you always make me look like an idiot when you tell it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to tell them this time?” Julie suggests. Luke shakes his head. “Okay, then don’t complain.” Mitch and Emily chuckle. “Okay, so Luke works at a record store near my house. I don’t know if you knew that. Anyway, I went in one day to browse. I’d been having a really bad day and it always makes me feel better to be surrounded by music. I was flipping through some CDs when I found a-” Julie pauses, taking a deep breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke tugs on a curl. “You got this, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mom was in a band in the late nineties and they had one of her CDs. She, uh, she died a year ago next month, and that CD was the last straw for my emotional stability that day. I just started full-out sobbing in the middle of the store and Luke was the only person working that day. The store was otherwise empty so Luke felt obligated to try and comfort me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke flushes. “This is where I start looking like an idiot,” he mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke’s solution to a sobbing teenage girl in his workplace was to come over and pat me on the head like a puppy. He then tried to bribe me to get me to stop crying by offering me a discount on the CD.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mitch bursts out laughing. “Luke, son, that was not your best moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sighs. “I know.” His face brightens. “But then I cheered her up by talking about music!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He did. We hung out for a couple of hours after I calmed down. He’s also gotten much better at calming me down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emily grins proudly at her son. “You have?” Luke rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, uh, I have a foolproof method. It unfortunately only works on Julie, but...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie starts laughing. “Alex’s face when you tried it on him! He was horrified.” She chokes out between giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to do it!” Luke protests. “It was a reflex!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I have to know what this method is,” Mitch announces. Luke’s face gets even redder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, uh... Babe, help?” He turns to Julie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He takes his shirt off.” Julie gets some strange looks from Mitch and Emily. “What? He’s hot! It distracts me from whatever is bothering me and calms me down enough to actually talk about what the problem is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you tried that on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alex</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Emily is somewhat horrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what Julie hasn’t mentioned is that it was an accident! I’d spent all day trying to keep her panic attacks away and I was tired! It’s a reflex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your reflex to someone panicking is to take your shirt off?” Mitch laughs. “You sure you want to be married to such a disaster, Julie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He may be a disaster, but he’s my disaster. I love him.” Julie’s response is immediate and confident. Emily coos at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys are too cute! Tell me about the wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, like I said a few minutes ago, it was a super spur of the moment decision. Luke borrowed Alex’s car to take me to my senior prom and I asked him what he’d had to promise Alex to get the keys. Luke said that Alex gets to be the best man when we get married, to which I replied, ‘when?’ Luke, who is, as we’ve mentioned, a disaster, pulled out a ring and proposed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then Julie said, ‘I’d marry you tonight if I could,’ so we did. We drove to Vegas and got married that night.” Luke grins at his wife. “No regrets, right, babe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No regrets, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that Spanish?” Mitch asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, mi alma? Yeah,” Julie confirms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does it mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My soul.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke presses a kiss to Julie’s forehead. “I love it when you call me that.”</span>
</p><p><span>“So, Julie, you’re in high school?” Julie nods, biting her lip.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Yeah, I graduate next month. I go to Los Feliz High School.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“That’s a performing arts school, right?” Luke tenses at Emily’s question. Julie squeezes his shoulder comfortingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m in the music program. That reminds me, Luke, I have a few lyrics to show you for that assignment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, can I hear them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie flushes. “Not in front of your parents! It’s, uh, a love song.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, Jules. You wrote me a love song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wrote </span>
  <em>
    <span>us </span>
  </em>
  <span>a love song. It’s a duet and it’s not finished.” Julie turns back to face Mitch and Emily. “He acts like he doesn’t have a whole book of love songs about me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mitch chuckles. “That does sound like our Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s phone buzzes. She tugs it out of her pocket. “Crap, it’s Papí, Luke. We’re supposed to be at Carlos’ game!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sighs. “I forgot about that. Where’s this one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie taps her screen a few times. “Even if we leave now, we’d probably be too late. It’s an away game with the furthest team in the conference.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Carlos?” Emily asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My brother,” Julie replies. “He’s ten. His little league baseball team is doing really well and we promised him we’d be at the game.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to try and get there, babe?” Luke asks. Julie shakes her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s over an hour away. It’s not worth it. Carlos is going to be pissed at us anyway, so we might as well just go home and work on my assignment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re leaving already?” Emily asks sadly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I have a final project that I need Luke to help me with. My music class has a partners project for the end of the year and since there’s an odd number of students in the class, Mrs. Harrison, that’s my teacher, said that I could work with Luke and the band.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s exciting! She must have a lot of faith in you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She thinks we’re going to make it big. My Papí thinks we’re going to win a Grammy. He would know, too. He lived with my mom while she was writing the songs that one most of her Grammys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mom won a Grammy?” Mitch exclaims.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Six. Have you heard of the band Rose and the Petal Pushers? My mom was Rose. We have a shelf of the trophies in our home studio.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mom was Rose Santos?” Emily gasps. Luke stares at her, jaw agape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve heard of her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heard of her? The Petal Pushers were my favorite group way back in college. I saw them live once and she was electric.” Emily sighs. “If you’re half as talented as your mother was-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She is,” Luke interjects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I have no doubts that you are going to make it big.” Luke’s eyes widen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke is part of my band. Julie and the Phantoms, tell your friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke is talented enough to be part of your band?” Mitch asks, shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke is insanely talented, Mr. Patterson. Your son is a musical genius.” Julie sighs, standing up. “I think it’s time we go.” She tugs Luke up and they say their goodbyes. As quickly as possible, Luke and Julie get their helmets on and drive off, Luke trembling in Julie’s embrace.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. The First Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Basically just 1500 words of Jukebox sex</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When they get back to Julie’s house and up to her room, Luke can no longer ignore something that Julie had said that morning. He had been distracted by worries about his parents but now that’s over and her words keep running through his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m ready.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He presses Julie up against her bedroom door and kisses her. Julie kisses back, of course, but it’s not enough. Not anymore, not when Luke knows that his beautiful wife is ready for everything. He pulls back and whispers to her, “Did you mean it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mean what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This morning you said you were ready.” He pecks her lips. “And you changed in front of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that.” Julie chuckles. “Yes, I meant it. I love you. I want to be with you in every way possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s lips meet Julie’s again, the kiss more passionate and intense than any prior one they’ve shared. “Can we... now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie replies by pushing him over to the bed. He sits down on it and watches, eyes wide, as Julie takes off her shirt. “Your turn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke has his shirt off in the blink of an eye. He smiles as Julie brings her hands behind her to unclasp her bra. Before she can do it, he stops her. “Can I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grins at him. Turning her back to him she pulls her hair out of the way. “Go ahead, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke stands back up and struggles with the clasp but finally manages to get the bra off of his wife. She turns back to face him as it falls from her chest. He gapes at Julie, awed. She flushes under his gaze, hands moving to cover herself. “No, don’t hide, Jules. You’re so beautiful, babe. How did I get so lucky?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She giggles. “I’m feeling pretty lucky myself.” She plasters herself against her husband, kissing him passionately. His hand cautiously comes up to caress her breast and she moans against his lips. “That feels good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good.” Luke runs his calloused fingers along the top of her pants’ waistband. “Can I take these off?” He asks her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. He slips her leggings off and studies his gorgeous wife, now only wearing a tiny pair of underwear. “Take yours off, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s jeans hit the floor and then they’re on the bed, Julie on top of him. Her lips are on his and their hands are exploring and Luke is so hard it’s physically painful but he can’t find room in his brain to care. His right hand pinches and tugs at Julie’s nipple as he kisses her nose and then her lips again and then her neck, peppering a trail of kisses down until his lips find her other nipple. She moans at the feeling of his mouth on her. He pulls back briefly. “Feels good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. More, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hand not on her breast moves down to hover over her underwear-covered mound. “Can I touch?” Julie nods. “Under or over?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Under,” she says, panting. His fingers slip under the fabric and he starts exploring her folds. Julie moans. The calluses on his fingers rub in all the right ways and she can’t imagine how anything could possibly feel better than this. Then his fingers shift slightly and he’s touching her clit and she’s been proven wrong. This feels so much better and she feels too good to be embarrassed about how loud her moan is. “Luke, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got you, babe. Can these come off?” He asks, tugging at the scrap of fabric that’s all that’s covering her anymore. Julie nods. “Words, Jules. I need you to say it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They can come off,” she pants. “If yours come off.” Luke’s eyes widen, but their underwear is quickly shed. Luke just takes a moment to admire his wife. She would be self-conscious under his stare if she wasn’t too distracted by admiring her husband. Her gaze trails down his chest, lingering on his abs before it descends to his erection. Her eyes widen. “There’s no way that’s gonna fit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll fit, boss, I promise. We just have to get you ready.” Luke smirks, pleased that his wife likes the way he looks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I trust you,” she whispers. That’s all it takes before their hands are roaming again. Luke carefully slips a single finger inside of Julie and she tenses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Julie nods. He wiggles his finger and she moans. He turns his hand so that his thumb can rub at her clit and she gasps at the sensations.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re needy, huh?” Luke grins, slipping a second finger inside his wife. He scissors them inside of her and she groans. “Still okay?” Julie nods, too focused on the sensations to speak. Luke stills his fingers. “Words.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Yeah- yeah, I’m okay.” He thrusts his fingers in deeper and slowly moves up to three. This has his wife vibrating under his touch and he presses a kiss to her lips.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Feels good, huh?” Julie reaches for him, running her hands along his arms and chest. Slowly one dips down to his erection, but Luke catches her wrist before she can touch him. “If you touch me, I can’t promise I’ll last very long.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Julie carefully frees her wrist from his grasp and touches him anyway. “I don’t care. I want to touch you.” She slowly wraps her fingers around his hardness and he moans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules-” he starts, but then she twists her hand and his words cut off. He tries again. “Oh, god, that feels- how are you so good at this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke knows that he’s her first. First boyfriend, first kiss, first sexual partner. She’d had no experience prior to meeting him but she caresses him like she’s been doing it her whole life. “I read,” she whispers against his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s hot,” Luke moans again as she starts to stroke him. His fingers start moving inside of her again and he’s pleased by how much she’s dripping. He nods to himself, satisfied. “I think you’re wet enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie lets go of his erection and reaches into the nightstand next to her bed. She pulls a condom out of the box that Ray had tossed Luke a few hours after they’d told him they were married. That had been an uncomfortable moment, but Luke is glad it happened because it means they’re prepared. Luke takes the little packet and opens it, rolling the condom onto himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He removes his fingers from their home inside his wife and licks them clean. Julie groans at the sight. “That’s hot,” she repeats his words from a few moments earlier. Carefully, Luke lines himself up and pauses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke slowly presses the head of his arousal into his wife and freezes when she gasps. “You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel...” Julie can’t find the words to describe the agonizing fullness. There’s a little bit of discomfort at the stretch, but mostly it just feels very right. “You can keep going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke slides a little bit further before meeting resistance. “This is probably gonna hurt, Jules. You ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do it. I trust you, mi alma.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke thrusts his hips forward, sinking the rest of the way in. Julie whimpers and this time, he can tell it’s from pain. He pauses, holding as still as he can with the desire to move pulsing through his veins. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He kisses her gently. “I’m sorry. We can stop. What can I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just... give me a minute.” Julie tugs his hand back up to her breast. “Distract me.” Luke gladly starts playing with the mound of flesh under his hand. He traces circles around her nipple, kissing her passionately until he feels her relax under his attention. Finally, she says the words he’s been desperately waiting to hear. “You can move now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Luke withdraws partway before thrusting back in. Their bodies move together in perfect harmony. Distantly, he thinks that that would make a good lyric, but the thought is gone almost as soon as it appears when Julie moans, the sound is so much better than the pained whimper from before. Gently, Luke moves his hips, his hand coming down to play at her clit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is heaven,” he whispers against her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie giggles. “It does feel pretty good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can feel her body tensing under his as she approaches her peak. He speeds his thrusts up a little bit and moves to suckle at her nipple. She shudders under the attention and he realizes with a thrill that she’s close. He thrusts harder and faster, the rhythm getting somewhat erratic as their arousal comes to a crest. He feels his wife clenching around him as she explodes. Luke himself feels the sweet pleasure of release and moans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they come down from their highs, Luke reluctantly pulls out. He takes the condom off and ties it shut, depositing it on the nightstand. Julie rolls them so that she’s resting on his chest and he grins. “Thank you, love. That was perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was, wasn’t it?” She sighs happily. “Can we just stay like this for a while?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nods, kissing her hair. “As long as you want.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Perfect Harmony</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eventually, they decide that they should probably take a shower before Ray and Carlos get home. Neither of them want to go down to dinner smelling like sex. Julie isn’t ready to be away from Luke, though, so they shower together. Soaping each other up is fun, but Luke finds that he really loves washing Julie’s hair for her. He carefully follows every step of the hair care process, taking mental notes so that he can do it again for her. When her hair is finally done, they climb out of the shower and dry each other off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pouts when Julie gets dressed again, but is pleased that she is still wearing one of his shirts. They still have some time before Ray and Carlos get back, so he leaves his own shirt off. They retreat to Julie’s room and Luke sits cross-legged by the foot of the bed, guitar in his lap. Julie sits by her pillows, facing him, a notebook in her lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so this is a duet. Not like most of our songs, but a proper duet. I’m honestly not sure that we even need Alex and Reggie for this one. I think just the piano and guitar, maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hit me, boss. What’ve you got?” Julie hands Luke the notebook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wrote your lines in blue, mine in red, and what we both sing in black.” Julie had written complete lyrics during her classes (she should have been taking notes, but that wasn’t nearly as interesting), but was stuck on the instrumentals. That’s where Luke’s help comes in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Step into my world/ Bittersweet love story 'bout a girl/ Shook me to the core/ Voice like an angel/ I've never heard before.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Luke sings his first verse and it sounds even better than Julie had imagined, especially paired with his improvised guitar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Here in front of me/ They're shining so much brighter/ Than I have ever seen/ Life can be so mean/ But when he goes, I know he doesn't leave.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s voice joins back in with Julie’s. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>The truth is finally breaking through/ Two worlds collide when I'm with you/ Our voices rise and soar so high/ We come to life when we're/ In perfect harmony/ Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa/ Perfect harmony/ Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa/ Perfect harmony...</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finish the song and Luke grins. “That song is amazing, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you! The guitar you improvised was perfect!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We make a great team, huh, boss?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do. Can we go to the studio? I want to add the piano.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke rolls his eyes. “You really think there’s any chance of me saying no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie chuckles. “You make a good point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He puts his shirt back on and they leave the house, going into the studio. Julie sits down at the piano and Luke sits next to her, facing the opposite direction so that there’s room for him to play his guitar. Julie starts playing softly and Luke joins in with the chords from in the house. As they approach the first chorus, they turn their heads so that their eyes lock. The rest of the song is spent gazing into each other’s eyes and they don’t even notice Ray and Carlos coming home. It’s only when the Molinas start to applaud that they realize they’re no longer alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mija, that was beautiful! What are you calling that one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Julie giggles. “Luke has a whole book of love songs for me, so I figured it was time I wrote him one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it turned out great!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s too sappy,” Carlos says, but the grin on his face belies his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Papí, can you do us a favor?” Ray nods. “Can you grab your video camera? I need a video recording of us playing that song for class.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, mija. I’ll be right back.” Ray is in the house and back out quickly, now holding his camera. “You guys ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Julie signals to Ray to start recording and he gives them a thumbs up when he starts. Luke starts the song and Ray feels his eyes tear up as his daughter and her husband sing a love song to each other. Julie may be young, but she’s found the person she’s meant to be with and she’s with him. The couple’s eyes are locked together and they slowly tilt their heads together. Just as they finish the song, their foreheads touch. Ray stops the video and sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was amazing, mijos.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we see?” Julie asks, hopping up. Luke follows her over to Ray and the camera, making a detour to put his guitar away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The camera starts playing their performance and Luke wraps his arms around Julie’s waist, holding her from behind. His chin rests on her shoulder and he smiles at the couple on the screen. They’re so obviously in love, so clearly in, as the song says, perfect harmony. When the recording ends, Luke turns his head to whisper in his wife’s ear. “I love you, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie spins around in Luke’s arms. “That was French!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray laughs at them. “You didn’t know he speaks French? He does it all the time when you’re having an attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie waves Ray’s comment away. “No, that’s not what I meant. I know he speaks French, but this was different.” She turns back to her husband. “You gave me a nickname. In French. I get it, now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get what?” Ray asks, not sure he wants to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why you like it when I call you mi alma,” she kisses Luke softly. Ray sighs. They’re back in their own little bubble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to transfer your video to my computer and send it to you, mija.” Ray dismisses himself, fairly confident that the couple is oblivious to his departure.</span>
</p><p><span>*</span> <span>*</span> <span>*</span></p><p>
  <span>When they get back inside, Ray tells Julie that her video should be in her email and that dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Papí!” she exclaims.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Send it to me?” Luke asks. Julie nods. She quickly forwards Ray’s email to Mrs. Harrison, the message saying that this is her final version. She also uploads the video to Instagram, both on her personal page and on the Julie and the Phantoms official page. Finally, she sends the video to Luke, who also posts it. “Youtube?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods and Luke uploads it to their official Youtube account. They pocket their phones and start setting the table for dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I think this one’s gonna be the song that gets us into the big leagues,” Julie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re right.” Luke pulls his phone out of his pocket when it buzzes, Julie’s buzzing too. “It’s Flynn in the group chat.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie continues setting out the plates. “What’s she saying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god.” Luke gapes at the screen. “Our video. She says the Insta account is blowing her phone up with notifications.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People love </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span>, boss. Like, hundreds of shares already. And the comments are- come look.” Julie rolls her eyes at Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got my own phone, babe.” She looks at her phone and sees tons of notifications. Opening her Insta, she pulls up the post on the band’s page. The comments are more than she could ever have hoped for.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Get you someone who looks at you like @lukethephantom looks at @juliethephantom</span>
  </em>
  <span>.’</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Couple goals! &lt;3’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘@julieandthephantoms this song is incredible!’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You two are so cute!’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘The forehead touch at the end! My heart!’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘@matthewloveskaty this. For our first dance at our wedding.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks up from the screen. “Luke, is this real?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It sure is, mon amour. We’re going viral.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex sends a text next. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seriously, guys? The first song that goes viral is a sappy love song?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke just responds with a winky face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is a bit more verbose. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not our fault that our love inspires people.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mija?” Ray asks. “What’s going on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, that video you took for us, Papí? We posted it on Instagram and Youtube and it’s going viral.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good thing, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Papí. It’s a very good thing.” Julie looks at the Youtube page. “Lots of people are watching it and sharing it. If we keep getting this kind of response, managers might notice us. That could lead to record deals and tours and stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, congratulations, mijos. Come help me bring the food to the table.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. We're Kind of a Big Deal Now</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the next several weeks, <em> Perfect Harmony </em> continues to go viral. One day, much to Julie’s shock, Carrie comes up to her at her locker and is... oddly civil.</p><p>“Hey, Molina!”</p><p>“Patterson,” Julie corrects.</p><p>“Right, Patterson. I just wanted to say, I think I get it now.”</p><p>“What?” Julie is beyond confused.</p><p>“Does your husband look at you like that all the time?” Carrie holds up her phone with a screenshot from the <em> Perfect Harmony </em> video open.</p><p>“That’s how Luke looks, Carrie. Yes. He always looks at me like that.”</p><p>“Julie, that man looks at you like you’re his world. I get why you married him. He really loves you.” </p><p>“He does. I love him, too.” Carrie looks a little bit forlorn at that.</p><p>“I can tell.” She sighs. “I want that.”</p><p>Julie gapes at her former friend. “You want... Luke?”</p><p>Carrie is quick to contradict that assumption. “No! God, no. He’s yours. Girl code, Patterson. We may not be friends anymore but I would never go after someone else’s boyfriend, much less a married man. I meant that I want someone who looks at me like Luke looks at you.”</p><p>“But Nick...” Julie trails off at the sadness in Carrie’s eyes.</p><p>“Nick doesn’t love me, Julie. That’s why I broke up with him. I just hope that someday I’ll find the kind of love that you have.”</p><p>“Carrie, I got insanely lucky, finding Luke when I did. Some people never find their Luke. Give it time. I’m sure you’ll find someone someday. Just be open to the possibilities.”</p><p>“Thanks, Julie.”</p><p>When Julie recounts the conversation to Flynn, the other girl is dumbfounded. “The demon is jealous of you? I didn’t think she knew what love was, much less wanted it.”</p><p>“Carrie is a complicated person,” Julie tries to explain. “She’s not a demon, she just needs to grow up a little bit and I think she’s working on it.”</p><p>* * *</p><p>Another noteworthy thing that comes out of the <em> Perfect Harmony </em> video is a DM the Julie and the Phantoms Instagram gets. It’s a request that they call a phone number, provided, and ask to speak to Andi Parker. Julie is the one to see this message (all of the members of the band and Flynn, as social media manager, have the login to the account) and when she sees it, she drops her phone.</p><p>She scrambles to pick it up and rereads the DM. It’s from the official Destiny Management page and as Julie gapes at her phone, another message comes through. <em> Andi would like to discuss representing you. </em></p><p>Julie literally starts screaming with excitement. Luke, who had been in the kitchen getting snacks, comes bursting in, holding an empty chip bag, the contents of which are still in the bowl he’d been pouring into in the kitchen.</p><p>“Jules! Are you okay?”</p><p>“Luke, oh, my god. Andi Parker from Destiny Management just sent us a message. She wants to discuss representing us!”</p><p>“Are you serious?” Julie shows Luke the messages. “Did you call her?”</p><p>“No, I figured we should talk to the guys and maybe do it together?”</p><p>“Okay, call Flynn. I’m gonna call Alex. He and Reggie are probably both at the apartment.”</p><p>Julie’s conversation with Flynn is short, mostly just the two girls squealing in excitement. Flynn gives her full and enthusiastic support. “<b>You’re gonna be huge, Jules. This is amazing! Just don’t forget me, okay?</b>”</p><p>Julie reassures her best friend that she could never forget someone as wonderful as Flynn. Flynn instructs Julie to call her back after she gets off the phone with Andi, which Julie promises to do.</p><p>Luke’s conversation with the guys is a little bit longer. Alex and Reggie tell Luke that Julie should be the one to call Andi and that she should do it right away but that all four of them will go to any meetings together. The guys are excited and tell Luke that he needs to call and update them as soon as possible.</p><p>Finally, Julie and Luke are ready to make the call. Luke sits down on the armchair in the corner of Julie’s room and Julie sits down on Luke. He tickles her side. Julie giggles, swatting his hand away while she dials with the other. When the phone picks up, Luke goes silent.</p><p>“<b>Hi, you’ve reached Destiny Management. My name is Jess. How may I help you today?</b>”</p><p>“Hi, Jess. This is Julie Patterson of Julie and the Phantoms? Andi Parker sent us a message asking us to call to speak with her?”</p><p>“<b>Hi, Julie! Yes, Andi did mention that she was hoping you would call. I can connect you through to her now, if that works for you?</b>”</p><p>“That would be great, thank you!” Julie hears some peppy hold music and then the line picks up.</p><p>“<b>Hello?</b>”</p><p>“Hi, Andi Parker? This is Julie Patterson from Julie and the Phantoms. We got your message.”</p><p>“<b>Hi, Julie! Thank you so much for calling me so quickly. Is it just you, there?</b>”</p><p>“No, um, my husband, uh, Luke, is here, too. I can put you on speakerphone?”</p><p>“<b>That would be great.</b>”</p><p>“Hang on,” Julie pulls the phone away from her ear and puts it on speaker. “Okay, I’m back. You’re on speaker now.”</p><p>“<b>Hi, Luke. I guess my first question for you guys is where are the other Phantoms?</b>”</p><p>“We called them before we called you,” Luke explains. “They trust us to get the ball rolling.”</p><p>“Actually,” Julie corrects. “They trust <em> me </em>. Luke was supposed to just sit there silently and not ruin things.” Andi chuckles at that. “The thing is that Luke and I live together, as do Alex and Reggie, but we have separate places. The guys are open to a discussion about representation, but didn’t want to make you wait for a response.”</p><p>“<b>Well, that’s good to hear. When I saw your </b> <b> <em>Perfect Harmony</em> </b> <b> video, Julie, I knew that you and Luke had something special. How long have you two been together?</b>”</p><p>“Almost six months. We got married about two weeks ago, though.”</p><p>“<b>Congratulations! So, I saw your video and went poking around your Youtube page and what I saw was something truly impressive. Your songs are powerful and all four of you are incredibly talented. To be frank, you’re exactly the kind of artists that Destiny Management looks for. I’d love to get the whole band in to discuss representing you?</b>”</p><p>“That sounds awesome!” Luke says excitedly.</p><p>“Luke.” Julie pokes him in the side. “We should ask some questions before agreeing to anything, mi alma.”</p><p>“<b>I see why you’re the trustworthy one, Julie. Go ahead and ask your questions.</b>”</p><p>“Um, by representation, you mean... what, exactly?”</p><p>“<b>That’s a good question. Destiny Management would produce your music. We’d start by recording an album and then probably promote it with a tour. You and your Phantoms are going to be big, Julie, and we’d love to be a part of that.</b>”</p><p>The first thing Andi hears in response to that is a muffled, “Luke, stop fidgeting. You’re going to drop me!” She chuckles.</p><p>“<b>Everything okay over there?</b>” Andi asks.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, we’re fine. So how would things work if we agreed to be represented by you?”</p><p>“<b>That depends. Do you guys have enough songs for an album?</b>”</p><p>“We have about ten finished songs right now and several that we’re still working on.”</p><p>“<b>Excellent! Okay, so what we’d do is we’d sign a whole bunch of paperwork and then we’d get the band into the recording studio. You’d record the songs you’ve written and we’d release them as an album. We’d do some promoting, probably a few interviews, and then we’d hopefully send you guys off on a tour. Then we’d have you guys write some more songs and repeat the process. How does that sound?</b>”</p><p>“Fucking incredible,” Luke says.</p><p>“Luke! Excuse my husband,” Julie tells Andi. “He often lacks a filter. What he meant to say was that we’d love to set up a time to come in and discuss things further. We would need a concrete plan and Alex and Reggie’s agreements before we would even consider signing anything. When would be a good time to meet?”</p><p>“<b>I understand that you’re still in high school, Julie, right?</b>”</p><p>“Yeah, I graduate next week.”</p><p>“<b>Well, you guys could come in to our offices after you finish classes sometime or we could wait until after graduation, whichever you’d prefer.</b>”</p><p>“We could do next Wednesday at around four?” Julie suggests.</p><p>“<b>That sounds like a plan. I look forward to meeting with you and your Phantoms. Have a great day!</b>”</p><p>Julie says goodbye. Once they hang up, Julie is immediately dialing the phone again. “Alex, Reggie! We’ve got an appointment with Andi Parker next Wednesday at four.”</p><p>Julie has to pull her phone away from her ear at the volume of the guys’ excitement. When they settle down, Julie goes on to detail what Andi is offering and what they would have to do. The excitement continues through the rest of the evening as they all text about their record deal.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. A Record Deal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The guys pick Julie up from school together in Alex’s car. They’re all jittery and excited as they drive to the building that houses Destiny Management. Luke keeps fidgeting with Julie’s fingers, particularly twirling her rings. As Alex parks the car, Julie finally breaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, mi alma, take a deep breath. We’re gonna be great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I know, mon amour. I just...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is everything you’ve ever wanted. I know. If you go in there this on edge, though, you’re not gonna be able to enjoy it. This is our big break, Luke, and I want you to experience it fully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke takes a deep breath. “Okay.” He exhales slowly. “Can I have a hug?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie smiles at her husband. “Always, babe.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She unbuckles her seatbelt and clammers onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He buries his face in her hair and just holds his wife. Slowly, the feel of her in his arms settles his nerves and he lets go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s do this!” Luke and Julie exit the car, joining Alex and Reggie who were leaning against its hood, waiting. “Band circle before we go in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Band circle,” Julie confirms. They all hold hands in a circle and inhale for four counts, hold four counts, and exhale four counts. “Okay. This is our big break, guys. We’re going to go in there and get a good deal. Destiny Management is going to represent us but not take advantage of us and we’re going to be stars. Hands in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They let go of each others’ hands and pile them in the middle of the circle. “Legends on three,” Luke says. “One, two, three!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Legends!” They all exclaim, throwing their hands up in the air. Luke takes Julie’s hand and they exit the parking garage into the building where their lives will change forever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the front desk, they stop to get directions. “Hi, um, we’re Julie and the Phantoms? We’re here to meet with Andi Parker?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, hi! I’m Jess. I spoke with you on the phone the other day. I’m a big fan. If you take the elevator up to the eighth floor, there’s another reception area. I’ll call up and let Andi know you’re here, so when you get up there she’ll meet you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good, thanks, Jess!” Julie waves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie jumps in front of the rest of the band when they reach the elevator bank. “I want to press the buttons!” Alex’s eye roll is almost tangible in the air, but Reggie gets to press the buttons anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they’re hidden in the elevator, Luke hugs Julie tightly. “I’m scared, boss. What if this doesn’t work out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Destiny Management is just one firm, Luke. If they change their minds about us or we decide we don’t like them, there are literally hundreds of other options. We’re gonna be legends, mi alma, whether it’s here or with someone else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Okay, you’re right, babe. We got this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the elevator doors open, Andi is there to greet them. “Hi, guys! I’m Andi Parker. Pleasure to meet you,” she says, shaking hands with everyone. “I’m assuming you’re Julie,” she gestures at Julie, “And based on the hand-holding, I’m guessing you’re her husband, Luke?” The couple in question nod. “Now, I think you’re Alex and you’re Reggie, but correct me if I’m wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, you’ve got it,” Reggie confirms cheerfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay! So our first order of business today is we’re going to go into one of the conference rooms. We’ll go over what we’re asking you to do and what we’re offering. My team and I have a five-year plan that we’d like to present you with and then we’ll go over the contract. You don’t have to sign today, although you’re welcome to. After we discuss the details, I’d love to hear some of your songs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good,” Alex says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks up at her husband and notes the slight furrow in his brow and the tension in his body. “Um, Andi? Can we actually start with showing you our songs? I think Luke needs to play a bit before he’ll be able to sit through a meeting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex glances at Luke and can immediately tell that Julie’s right. “That sounds better,” he sides with his band.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course! We’ve got some studio space right over this way. There’s a full drum set for you, Alex, and we’ve got a bass and an electric guitar for Reggie and Luke. Julie, in your videos, I’ve noticed you use a grand piano, which we don’t have here, but there’s a keyboard setup if that works?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fine. The grand piano in the videos is mostly for sentimental value. It was my mom’s. She’s the one who got me into music.” Julie sighs. “She died a year ago tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for your loss,” Andi says. “She must have been extremely talented and passionate to have inspired you so much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was.” Julie squeezes Luke’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we go play?” Luke asks. Julie mouths ‘thank you’ at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Andi leads the band into the studio and Julie’s smile returns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa. Andi, ‘keyboard setup’ doesn’t do this justice.” Julie lets go of Luke’s hand and rushes over to the keyboard. She presses a single note, letting the sound ring out, before starting the intro to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bright.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “The sound quality!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins. “I think you’ve just won Julie over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good! One down, three to go!” Andi chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex pulls his drumsticks out of his pocket where they live when they’re not in his hands. He walks over to sit behind the drums. He taps out a quick beat and nods. “These’ll do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s high praise coming from Alex,” Luke translates for Andi, whose look of concern smooths out at his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great! Reggie, Luke, we’ve got a few instruments that you can pick between.” She gestures to the wall where a line of stands holds several guitars, electric, acoustic, and bass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke picks up a guitar and strums a couple of chords. He frowns. “When’s the last time anyone’s tuned these?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t actually know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke retunes the guitar, then plays the riff from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Edge of Great</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “It’s not Charlie, but I can still rock out with this one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Charlie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Luke names his guitars. Charlie is his favorite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He loves Charlie almost as much as he loves Julie,” Alex jokes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And he married Julie,” Reggie points out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pouts at them. “Charlie is a great guitar! Leave us alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie, would you like to pick out a bass?” Reggie nods excitedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He touches the neck of one then shakes his head. The second one he actually picks up and strums. He tunes it slightly then grins. “This one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so what are we playing?” Luke asks. “Andi? Anything particular?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t recognize the piano bit you were playing, Julie. Is that a whole song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bright</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You wanna hear it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie confirms with the others that they’re ready and begins the intro again. “Sometimes I think I'm falling down/ I wanna cry, I'm callin' out/ For one more try to feel alive/ And when I feel lost and alone/ I know that I can make it home/ Fight through the dark/And find the spark/ Life is a risk but I will take it/ Close my eyes and jump/ Together I think that we can make it/ Come on, let's run!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guys come in with their instruments all at once and Julie jumps up from the keyboard. She moves around the studio space, hyping up each member one at a time. When Luke starts singing, she grins at him. At some point during the song, she shares a microphone with him. The whole time, Andi can see just how talented a performer she really is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the song ends, Andi starts clapping. “Wow. That was just incredible. You guys are great in the recordings but they don’t do justice to how powerful you are, live. Are you guys ready to discuss the contract?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks at each of her bandmates carefully for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, I think so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent!” Andi leads them into the conference room once Reggie and Luke have put their instruments back. Julie sits in between Alex and Luke, fingers entwined with her husband’s. Reggie sits on the other side of Luke and Andi takes a seat across from them. She slides a copy of the contract in front of each member of the band.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome to take the time to read these through, but I’m going to give you a brief overview of what these contracts stipulate. This is really a very standard contract. We’d like to sign you guys for a period of five years, during which time you will be expected to put out at least two albums. We’d like to send you on a tour for each album, otherwise we’d be asking you to produce more songs.” Julie nods, holding her hand out to Alex. He pulls a highlighter and a pen out of his fanny pack and places them in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Andi discusses the main points of the contract, Julie reads over it with a fine-toothed comb, highlighting and annotating it. She frowns at points and smiles at others. Luke squeezes her hand to get her attention when Andi stops talking. Julie looks up, startled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’re you thinking, mon amour?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking that this contract looks really good. It favors us slightly and offers us the opportunity to go beyond what they’re requiring. We could produce as much music as we want, so long as we still go on tour as scheduled.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we sign?” Luke prompts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We sign.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andi looks confused. “Don’t you guys want a lawyer to look over it? I mean, Julie, you’re the only one who’s actually read the contract.” She pauses. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you want to sign, but this isn’t how this normally goes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve read dozens of contracts online in preparation for this meeting. This is at least as good as any I’ve seen and, in many ways, better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we trust Julie,” Alex says. “Anything we need amended?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” With that one word from Julie, Alex takes another pen out of his fanny pack and signs the contract in front of him. He hands the pen to Luke, who signs in his spot. Julie signs next and then the contract and pen are passed to Reggie, who also signs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then! Welcome to Destiny Management! We’d like to get you guys into a recording booth as soon as possible. I’m assuming you need to wait until after graduation, Julie. Is there anything anyone else has to do before we can start?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to put in our two weeks’ notices at our jobs,” Luke says for the guys.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When is graduation again, Julie?” Andi asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This weekend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So how about we bring you all in two weeks from Monday? That gives you time to get your notices in and have a couple of days to celebrate. Sound good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The band looks at each other then back at Andi. “Sounds good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke is literally vibrating with excitement at this point, so Julie takes pity on him. “Come here, mi alma.” She holds open her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke picks her up and swings her around. “We have a record deal! Babe, we did it!” When he sets her down, he kisses her passionately. “We did it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andi chuckles at the sight. “Congratulations, guys!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes, I did name Luke's guitar after the actor. Don't @ me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Where's Willie (It's Where's Waldo, Reginald)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I almost started crying when I wrote this chapter. Let's all send Luke hugs? (I know he's fictional and can therefore not receive hugs, but he needs them, so...)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They all pile back into Alex’s car to drive to Julie’s where Ray had promised them  several celebration pizzas. They’re all laughing and shouting and singing and basically just being the dorks they are the whole way back. Alex’s phone buzzes several times on the drive, but because he’s driving, he ignores it. When he parks in the driveway, he can finally check it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, did you know that Willie was in Africa?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He just texted me back. Apparently, the cell service that he’d been promised was nonexistent. He wasn’t ignoring me, he just literally couldn’t reply.” Alex huffs. “He got back last night but was too exhausted to reply until just now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, he mentioned that might happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie, how do you feel about being a widow?” Alex inquires, trying to maintain a grip on his sanity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not my ideal situation. How about we compromise? No permanent damage?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks between his wife and best friend. “What’s happening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember when Alex was spiralling about Willie not texting him back? You know, when you took your shirt off to calm him down?” Luke nods, flushing. “Did it occur to you at any point that Alex might not know that Willie was in Africa?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s lips part. “Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dumbass.” Reggie ignores the fact that he wouldn’t have thought to say anything either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You had actual, real, helpful information that would have done a great job of calming me down and your solution was to start stripping.” Alex closes his eyes and counts to ten. “You really need to work on your comforting people skills.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They get out of the car, then, and Alex slaps Luke on the shoulder. “You are so lucky we just signed a record deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks at Julie for help. “Don’t look at me!” Julie exclaims. “I’ve already saved your life!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex wouldn’t really have killed me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Alex, go inside. Call Willie and see if he wants to come over for pizza. I’ll keep my idiot husband out here until you’re a little bit less murderous. Send us a text?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex nods at Julie, heading into the house. Julie grabs Luke’s hand and leads him into the studio. They climb up into the loft cuddle space and snuggle up together. He holds his wife for a while before asking, “You don’t really think I’m an idiot, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie, who had absolutely been joking, is horrified. “What? No, of course not! I was joking, just trying to make Alex less mad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re silent for another few minutes before Julie asks, “Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>think you’re an idiot?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Luke. You’re not an idiot, mi alma. You just didn’t think.” Julie presses a kiss to his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But after this weekend, once you graduate, I’m gonna be the only one who doesn’t have a high school diploma.” Luke’s voice is weak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t make you an idiot, Luke.” Julie sighs, trying to figure out what to say. “Okay, look. There’s a lot of different kinds of smart, babe. Graduating high school is a sign, but not a requirement, of being book smart. Actually, it’s not even that. I know lots of people who are graduating with me who really shouldn’t be. The kind of smart you are, though, is musically smart. Luke, you’re literally a musical genius. The only other person I know of who can make a guitar do the incredible things you do was my mom and she was a lot older and more experienced. Mama would have had to spend a lot of time practicing to get that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Edge of Great</span>
  </em>
  <span> riff as good as it was when you just randomly pulled it out of nowhere. Your lyrics are powerful, mi alma, and a high school diploma has nothing to do with that. We’re gonna be legends, Luke, and a lot of that has to do with your genius.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really think I’m a musical genius?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie feels her heart breaking at the hope in her husband’s voice. “Luke, we just signed with a major record label. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’re a musical genius.” She pauses. “To clarify something, I’m not saying that you’re not book smart. I just think you have different priorities, which is totally valid, babe. This music thing is working out great for us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke kisses Julie softly. “Thanks, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They cuddle in silence for a while longer, Julie trying to figure out how someone as incredible as her husband could be so insecure. “Luke? I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke frowns. “For what, babe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to make you feel like you’re not smart. I love you exactly as you are and I need to make sure you know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do know that, mon amour. I love you, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s phone buzzes then with Alex’s text. “Alex is calmed down now. He says the pizza’s here and that we should come get some.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sighs. “I don’t wanna get up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we won’t.” Luke seems uncertain, so Julie keeps talking. “Cuddling with you is way better than pizza, mi alma. We can stay here as long as you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t let Reggie hear you say that. He doesn’t think there’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> better than pizza.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, Reggie isn’t in love.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. The Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Julie and Luke finally descend from the loft and head into the house, the party is in full swing. Flynn is there, though Julie doesn’t know who invited her (probably Ray). Alex has an arm draped over Willie’s shoulder as they lounge on the couch. Reggie has a plate piled high with pizza and Carlos is sitting next to him, simultaneously playing and babbling about some video game or another. Flynn is the first person to spot Julie and Luke and runs up to hug them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys! You have a record deal!” Flynn exclaims excitedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do!” Julie’s smile is so bright that Luke can’t help but grin dopily at her. He loves seeing her this happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Congratulations, mijos,” Ray says, coming to give Julie a hug and then opening his arms to Luke. “I knew you could do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s eyes tear up. Parental support for his music (even if it’s not his own parents) means so much to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, Papí, you’re making Luke cry.” Julie joins the hug, and then Flynn is in the midst of it and Willie drags Alex into it and Reggie follows. Carlos is the last one added to the group hug, but that’s only because he had to pause his video game.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did it, Julie. I’m so proud of you.” Carlos says when the hug breaks up. “Mama would be so happy right now.” Julie ruffles her brother’s hair, much to his displeasure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mama </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> so happy right now,” Ray corrects. “She’s always watching over you and I bet she’s throwing a huge party up in heaven right about now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rose’s parties were epic!” Flynn informs those who have never attended one. “I remember for Julie’s eighth birthday, she put together this incredible princess tea party. There were awesome costumes and ponies-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember that,” Ray says. “Those ponies made such a mess.” He grins. “But Julie’s smile was so worth it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything that puts a smile on Julie’s face is worth it,” Luke points out. Julie hides her red face in Luke’s chest. “Hey, mon amour, don’t be embarrassed. You have a really great smile, that’s all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Julie, can I come on tour with you?” Carlos asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” literally everyone else in the room replies at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have school, hermanito,” Julie reminds him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides, if you come on tour with us, you’re going to be stuck in a tour bus with Julie and Luke being all sappy,” Reggie says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos wrinkles his nose, but it’s Alex’s reaction that has everyone laughing. “Oh, god, is it too late to get out of this whole tour thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. We need our drummer.” Julie rolls her eyes. She lets go of Luke’s hand to go grab some pizza. This leads to everyone retrieving their plates from wherever they’d abandoned them for the group hug. Everyone piles into the living room. Reggie, Carlos, and Ray take the couch, Flynn sits on the floor, her plate on the coffee table, and Alex and Willie bring chairs in from the kitchen. Luke sits down on the armchair and Julie, whose plate has enough pizza for both of them, sits on his lap. She picks up a piece of pizza and brings it up to Luke’s mouth. He takes a bite, then Julie takes the next bite from the same slice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, you guys are so cute, it’s disgusting,” Flynn says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I repeat, is it too late to get out of the tour?” Alex asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t negotiate the contract, Alex, so I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” Julie smirks. “We get two tour busses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You and Reggie can share one and Luke and I can share the other. You’ll have space to get away from us.” Julie grins. “I talked to Andi on the phone before the meeting and asked if that could be possible. She said it was Destiny Management’s standard for married couples in bands to have their own tour busses. Something about an incident with a band refusing to finish their tour because the couple never got alone time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank god!” Alex’s exclamation makes everyone chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the evening carries on, Julie makes a point to pull Alex and Reggie aside. She wants to ensure that no one makes comments about Luke’s intelligence anymore. Alex is horrified that Luke is so insecure. “He’s a musical genius!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “I know, that’s what I told him.” She sighs. “I just... I hate seeing him as uncertain as he was. We gotta be more careful. His parents did a lot of damage with their talk about how he needed to focus on school if he ever wanted to make a life for himself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie nods solemnly. “I won’t call him a dumbass again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grins. “That’s good. Oh, but don’t be obvious, okay? He’d be embarrassed to know that I told you guys about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After collecting their promises, Julie sends them back to the party. She goes upstairs to put on one of Luke’s shirts. She knows he likes seeing her in his clothes and, while he’s clearly excited about the record deal, he also just seems a little bit down. When she returns to the living room, Luke smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, is that my shirt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a problem?” Julie asks with a raised eyebrow, stepping into his embrace. He pulls her close, smile widening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not if I get to take it off of you later,” Luke whispers in her ear. Julie chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the party migrates to the studio where Julie and her Phantoms put on a show. They play a few of their favorites, then Luke tugs on Julie’s hand as she’s about to start a new song. She turns to face him and he holds up a hand. He sets his electric guitar back on its stand and picks up Rose’s acoustic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to play you another song that I wrote for you.” Julie’s eyes light up. He guides her over to the couch in the studio and sits them down facing each other. “You ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m always ready to hear a song you wrote for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke starts strumming. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I found myself dreaming/ In silver and gold/ Like a scene from a movie/ That every broken heart knows/ We were walking on moonlight/ And you pulled me close/ Split second and you disappeared/ And then I was all alone/ I woke up in tears/ With you by my side/ A breath of relief/ And I realized/ No, we're not promised tomorrow/ So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you...</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Luke finishes the song, Julie frowns at him. “You’re not gonna lose me, mi alma. I married you.” She takes the guitar from him. “I wrote this song a while ago for you.” She starts playing. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>When I look into your eyes/ It's like watching the night sky/ Or a beautiful sunrise/ Well there's so much they hold/ And just like them old stars/ I see that you've come so far/ To be right where you are/ How old is your soul?/ Well, I won't give up on us/ Even if the skies get rough/ I'm giving you all my love/ I'm still looking up.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s gaze is soft as he watches his wife play him a love song. It’s even more special because she wrote it for the guitar, his instrument. When she finishes playing, he takes the guitar from her and holds it out. Someone, he’s not sure who, takes it from him and then Julie’s in his arms. “I love you, mon amour. You’re my world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s lips are on his then and then Willie’s shouting, “Get a room!” Luke takes that request into consideration and stands up, Julie still in his arms. He carries her out of the studio and up to her bedroom. The last thing they hear from the group in the studio is Ray complaining about not wanting to see that.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Deathiversary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Angst + humor= this chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Luke wakes up the morning of the one-year anniversary of Rose Molina’s death, Julie is awake, too. Luke can tell (even though she’s pretending she’s still asleep) by the stutter in her breathing as she tries not to cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, mon amour...” Luke tries to keep from crying himself as a tear drips onto his chest where Julie’s head is resting. “Do you want to talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie shakes her head. “Just hold me?” Her voice is raspy from the tears and the desperate plea hurts Luke’s heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always.” He tightens his arms around her and presses a kiss to the top of her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the tears slow and Julie lifts her head. “Will you come to her grave with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke aches for his wife. “Of course, Julie. When do you want to go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s response is to get up. She goes to a chest that Luke has wondered about but never had the courage to ask about and opens it. Luke watches as she sorts through piles of vintage clothes, eventually pulling out a soft sweater. The shirt (technically Luke’s) that she’d slept in comes off and the sweater comes on. She finishes getting dressed then turns to Luke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was my mom’s,” she tugs at the sleeve. “Everything in there was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The sweater is cute.” Luke doesn’t know what to say. He gets dressed quickly then opens his arms. Julie falls into them and starts crying again. An idea hits him then. “Do you... um, it’s completely okay if the answer is no, but I was thinking... would it help if- Do you want me to play for you? I know all your mom’s songs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d do anything for you, mon amour.” A small smile forms through her tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray knocks on the door then. “Everyone decent?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you can open the door, Papí.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray’s eyes are red when he peeks his head in. “You almost ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we just need to grab one of Mama’s guitars from the studio.” Ray tilts his head, an eyebrow raised in a silent question. “Luke is going to play Mama’s songs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, mijo,” Ray breathes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke just nods. He’d never known Rose, but anyone who was so loved by people as incredible as his wife and her family must have been someone special. He finds himself grieving for the loss of someone he’ll never know, but he knows the pain he feels pales in comparison to the hurt radiating off of Julie and Ray. When they meet Carlos in the hall, the kid grabs onto Julie and hugs her tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Carlos, want to hear something special?” Julie asks her brother. Carlos nods, his face buried in Julie’s sweater. “Luke is going to play Mama’s songs for us when we’re at her grave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not you?” Carlos asks, finally letting go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can sing them, if you want, but I’m not as good at guitar as Mama was. There are some of her songs that I struggle with, but Luke knows the songs and can play them the way they’re supposed to sound.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Carlos agrees. “Thanks, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all leave the house, Luke holding Julie’s hand tightly. He only lets go to quickly run into the studio to grab Rose’s guitar. She had several, but when Luke plays one of hers instead of his own, he finds himself defaulting to a specific one, stained dark with butterflies painted onto the neck. When he meets the others back at the car, Ray smiles at the sight of the guitar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m somehow not surprised that you picked that one, mijo.” Luke’s brow furrows. “It’s a sign.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I’m sorry, Ray, I don’t understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you pick that guitar?” Ray asks. Luke doesn’t understand the abrupt change in topic, but goes with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The butterflies. They reminded me of Julie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. That was Rose’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Julie</span>
  </em>
  <span> guitar.” Luke still looks confused. “Julie bought it for Rose when she was six. Julie held half a dozen lemonade stands and sold friendship bracelets to earn the money for it, then begged me to cover the difference. That guitar was special to Rose. She only played it in Julie’s presence, mijo. Out of all the guitars Rose had, you picked the one that relates to Julie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke flushes. “Should I get a different one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Julie says. “No, that’s not what he’s saying at all, mi alma. Papí is saying that you choosing to use that specific guitar is a sign that Mama would have approved of you. And maybe that Mama sent you to me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks to Ray for confirmation. “Yes. Exactly. Rose would have loved you, mijo. I think she sent you to Julie to help us heal.” Ray sighs. “You know, I didn’t realize at the time, but... Julie, did meeting Luke have something to do with getting you to play again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Play again?” Luke feels like he’s spent this entire conversation in a state of confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After Rose died, Julie stopped playing music. I might be wrong, but the timing matches up. You two have been together for almost six months now, right?” Luke nods. “Julie started playing again about that long ago, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They turn to Julie, then, who looks at the ground. “The day we met, when we were looking at an old Queen record, you said that the best way to keep musicians we’ve lost alive is to keep playing their music. You said that as long as we play their music, they continue to live on inside of us. I went straight home from the Vault that day and sat down at Mama’s piano and played the song Mama wrote for me for when she was gone. I can play it for you later, if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mijo, thank you.” Ray pulls Luke into a quick hug. “Music is a part of Julie and I owe you so much gratitude for helping her find her way back to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome? I wasn’t trying to do that, though. I just go on that rant often.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter if you were trying to help her or not. The fact remains that you </span>
  <em>
    <span>did.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Ray releases Luke. “You guys ready to go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone piles into Ray’s car and they drive to the cemetery Rose is buried in. Luke takes Julie’s hand as they walk to Rose’s grave. Each member of Rose’s family takes a moment alone to say something to her, then Julie turns to Luke. “We’re ready.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke swings the strap of the guitar over his shoulder and adjusts the tuning of the guitar. “Any requests for what I play first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one offers any suggestions, so Luke starts with his personal favorite. As he plays, Julie starts singing. Eventually, though, she’s crying too hard, so Luke smiles sadly at her and takes over. Ray throws an arm around each of his children and then they’re hugging. Luke keeps playing, song after song. It’s only when he’s played all of Rose and the Petal Pushers’ songs that he stops. He swings the guitar around behind his back just in time to catch Julie as she launches herself into his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, mi alma.” Luke kisses her forehead. Her face is wet from the tears and her eyes are swollen, but she manages a small smile for him. Ray and Carlos echo the thanks as Julie takes four guitar picks out of her pocket. Luke’s brow furrows. One at a time, they each set a pick on Rose’s grave. Luke’s eyes tear up, then, but when Julie hands him the fourth pick to place, he starts actively crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re part of the family now, Luke,” Carlos, surprisingly, says. “That means you have to leave a pick, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks at each Molina, all of them nodding, and takes the offered guitar pick. He notes the butterfly printed on it and meets Julie’s eyes. She waves a hand, gesturing for him to place the little piece of plastic, so he does. Then he turns to Julie and wraps her up in a tight hug. She goes limp against him, as though standing is suddenly too much effort. He frowns. It hurts him to see her this upset. All he can do is hold her through her pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they're finally ready to leave the cemetery, they detour to a restaurant on their way home. Julie quietly explains to Luke that it was her mother’s favorite restaurant. Everyone orders the same thing, so Luke does too. While they wait for it to be ready to take home, Julie squeezes his hand, telling him that Rose always ordered something new but ended up not liking it, so she would trade with Ray and eat the meal that they’ve just ordered. This turns into a conversation about other quirks Rose had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The car ride home is spent discussing her baking skills, or lack thereof. Apparently, she was incapable of baking even the simplest of things. She once tried to make brownies (from a mix) for a bake sale for Carlos’ baseball team and it did not go well. Julie giggles through her tears as she tells Luke that they had to replace the oven after that because the entire interior was plastered with a sticky goo that bore little to no resemblance to brownie batter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How... just, what?” Luke doesn’t even know what to ask. “What did she </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray shakes his head. “We’re honestly not sure, but she was banned from baking after that. The next bake sale, Julie made the brownies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The thing was, though, that Mama was a really good cook. You’ve had the arroz con pollo when Tía’s brought it over, right? That was Mama’s recipe and it was way better when she made it. It was just baking that she couldn’t do.” Carlos informs Luke as they head into the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mother sounds like a very interesting person.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was. Oh, Papí, tell Luke the story of your first date with Mama.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray chuckles. “My first date with Rose involved a stampede of zebras, a mariachi band, and having to bail her out of jail.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke blinks, frozen. “It... what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray rests his chin on his hands. “We went to Rose’s friend’s birthday party. His name was Trevor Wilson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>The </span>
  </em>
  <span>Trevor Wilson? Like, the musician?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray nods. “Yeah. They met when Rose worked at the Orpheum. Anyway, Trevor had made a ton of money at that point and had put a literal zoo in his backyard. Rose had hired the mariachi band to follow Trevor around and start playing whenever Trevor tried to flirt with someone. Eventually, the band, Rose, Trevor, and I ended up in the zoo. Rose convinced Trevor to let her pet the zebras, so he unlocked the enclosure. Rose somehow managed to get on the back of one of the zebras and ride it out of the zoo area before anyone could stop her. The mariachi band decided they weren’t getting paid enough for this so they ran. Trevor and I couldn’t get the enclosure locked fast enough to keep the other zebras in, so there was a herd of zebras terrorizing the neighborhood. One of the mariachi guys called the police and animal control, who helped us herd the zebras back into the zoo enclosure. By that point, Rose had returned, still riding the zebra, and the police made her put it with the other zebras. Apparently, releasing a herd of stampeding zebras on an unsuspecting subdivision is frowned upon, so they took Rose in for questioning. They didn’t end up convicting her of anything, mostly because the judge thought it was funny, but I did have to post bail for her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke just stares at Ray, trying to figure out if this is some elaborate joke. Julie eventually pokes him and when he doesn’t respond, she turns to her father. “Papí, I think you broke my husband.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spark of joy that Luke gets every time Julie calls him her husband breaks him out of his shock. “I was wrong,” Luke finally says. “Your mother was not an interesting person. That’s not a strong enough word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Mama was a little bit crazy, but aren’t we all?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stories continue throughout the remainder of the day and into the night, only being interrupted by Julie playing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake Up</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Luke playing the occasional Petal Pushers song. When everyone finally retreats to bed, Julie snuggles up with Luke and kisses his jaw. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she whispers. “Today would have been so much harder without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need to thank me, mon amour. I’m happy I could help.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Interviews</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next weeks fly by as Julie first graduates, then, with the rest of the band, records their first album, titled </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake Up</span>
  </em>
  <span> in honor of Julie’s mom. It had been, to the surprise of everyone, Reggie’s idea to include it on the album, which topped charts almost immediately after release.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” He’d said, confused by everyone’s confusion. “It’s a powerful song written by someone that’s a huge inspiration to us. Why wouldn’t we include it?” Everyone had nodded and agreed that Reggie had a point, Julie hugging him in thanks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie and the Phantoms’ national </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake Up</span>
  </em>
  <span> tour was opening the next night- at the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Orpheum</span>
  </em>
  <span>, guys!- but today they’re scheduled for an interview. The TV host of </span>
  <em>
    <span>LA Tonight, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cadence Carter, had been thrilled to be chosen to conduct the Phantoms’ first interview and was even more excited when Julie and Luke had agreed to perform </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The couple had insisted that they also perform a song with the whole band, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall</span>
  </em>
  <span> gets added to the schedule.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The couch on the set of </span>
  <em>
    <span>LA Tonight</span>
  </em>
  <span> is not meant for four people, so Julie ends up on Luke’s lap when the band sits down for their interview.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, hello! Welcome, Julie and the Phantoms, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>LA Tonight</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Let me start by saying that I’m a huge fan. You’re all very talented musicians and your lyrics, wow!” The band thanks Cadence, who waves it away. “No, no. No thanks are necessary. The praise is deserved. Now, before we get started with the questions, I’d like to make sure I know who’s who in the band.” Cadence doesn’t mention that they’d introduced themselves before the show started. The audience doesn’t need to know that. “So, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that you’re Julie? The lead singer and keyboardist?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And under you would be...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My husband, Luke, our guitarist. I would like to point out that this seating situation isn’t our fault. You might want to consider getting a bigger couch.” Julie tilts her head, considering her words. “No, actually, this one’s fine. Luke’s lap is comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cadence laughs. “Luke, how do you feel about being Julie’s seat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, no complaints here. I get to hold my beautiful wife. What’s not to like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two are adorable. So, which of you is Alex and which one is Reggie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Alex. I’m our drummer. This is Reggie, he plays bass.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that we’re all acquainted, let’s dive into the actual interview portion of tonight’s show. My first question is about your songs. You guys went viral with a video of Julie and Luke singing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Now, my understanding is that you wrote that song, Julie. Is that correct?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s actually kind of a funny story. Um, I recently graduated from Los Feliz High School’s music program. Our final project was a pairs assignment to write and perform an original song. The issue was that there was an odd number of students. Mrs. Harrison, my teacher, knew that I was in a band, so she suggested that, rather than forming a group of three, I write something for the band. That song was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really hit that school assignment out of the park, huh? I mean, you got signed to Destiny Management because of the buzz surrounding it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got an A.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cadence chuckles. “I’m not surprised. I’m assuming that the song is about Luke, am I right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Has he written you a love song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins. “I’ve written her </span>
  <em>
    <span>seven</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got some catching up to do, then, huh, Julie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. He’s only written me so many because he’s really bad at making what he wants to say come out right unless it’s lyrics.” She rolls her eyes. “Unlike Luke, I can tell him I love him without screwing it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So can I!” Luke protests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, you proposed to me </span>
  <em>
    <span>by accident</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you said yes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m glad I did.” Luke kisses Julie’s knuckles, smiling at her words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cadence looks at Alex and Reggie. “Are they always like this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunately,” Alex sighs. “Luke, Julie! We’re in the middle of an interview! Be disgustingly cute later!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie jumps, almost falling off of Luke’s lap. His grip on her waist is the only thing that keeps her seated. “Sorry. Um, where were we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were discussing the writing of your songs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a bit of an outlier. Normally, Luke and I write songs together. The exceptions are basically all like </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If a song’s not a gift for him, I will always want Luke to help me write it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We make each other better,” Luke adds. “Before I met Julie, I used to write songs by myself or with the guys. Those songs are just... they’re good, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t compare with the songs we write together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Except for the love songs?” Cadence clarifies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, how could a song about someone as incredible as Julie not be great?” Julie kisses Luke’s cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so sweet, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so my next question is about the song process as a whole. Do Julie and Luke come to you guys with a complete song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes,” Reggie says. “But sometimes, we write our own instrumental parts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Luke sucks at writing my drum solos. They’re either physically impossible to play or really... bad.” Alex rolls his eyes. “Like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a drummer!” Luke protests. “I can write Reggie’s parts because I can play the bass. The thing is, though, that sometimes our songs seem complete when Julie and I bring them to the guys, but then things get added or changed as we rehearse them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Edge of Great</span>
  </em>
  <span>, for example. That guitar solo Luke does? I was supposed to be singing a capella then. He just improvised it while we were performing for the Youtube video and it was so good that it stuck,” Julie adds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>improvised</span>
  </em>
  <span> that?” Cadence is shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke flushes. “Yeah. I, uh, I was mad because Julie wasn’t interacting with me as much as the other guys so I decided that I would make her look at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t looking at you because I was trying to stay focused! You’re distracting, Luke!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, let me make sure I’m getting this right. Critics call that guitar solo on par with some of the legendary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, and you improvised it out of... jealousy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More or less,” Luke confirms, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I was basically trying to figure out how to get Julie’s attention and I figured I’d sing to her, but I didn’t have any lines, so I did it with the guitar instead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow. I’m legitimately impressed. Okay, so when you guys go on tour starting tomorrow, are you going to be playing anything new?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is a song that I’ve been working on that’s basically ready,” Julie hedges. “The instrumentals need some work, but the lyrics are done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks offended. “And you haven’t shown me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a gift.” Julie sighs. “I started it the day after the anniversary. As a thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s eyes soften. “You don’t have to thank me for that, Jules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what are we talking about?” Alex asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know, either?” Cadence looks surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mom died a little over a year ago. Um, my mom was in a band. Rose and the Petal Pushers? She was Rose. She was such an amazing guitarist and, despite my best efforts, I can’t quite get some of her songs right. I’ve always been better on the piano. Anyway, on the anniversary of her death, my family went to visit the grave and Luke played her songs for us. I started </span>
  <em>
    <span>Drowning</span>
  </em>
  <span> to thank Luke for... well, everything he did to make that day not as awful as I’d been dreading.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for your loss,” Cadence says. “Can we hear some of the song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks conflicted. “The guys don’t know their parts yet. I can sing a little bit of it, though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, please!” Luke grins at Julie. “You got this, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie takes a deep breath. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>The ocean is heavy/ Your current is strong/ Holding me deeper/ been here all along./ Remember the time I first saw you/ I thought you’d be mine and it felt so good/ one look in your eyes and I swear I knew/ of your kiss, your touch, your love./ And I can’t breathe/ I’m struggling.../ Cause I’m drowning in your love.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Julie stops abruptly. “Um, that’s technically Luke’s part, but... yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was beautiful, Julie,” Cadence compliments. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks. I guess it’s a little morbid, writing a love song called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Drowning</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but, like, being in love with Luke feels like being lost in a sea of emotions with him as the only thing keeping me afloat, so I guess it works.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It definitely works. So, we’re running out of time, and you guys promised me that we’d get to hear two songs off of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake Up</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I believe you were going to play </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we were. Do we still have time for both?” Cadence nods. Julie and Luke stand, heading over to the other part of the set where the instruments are set up. Julie sits down on the bench behind the keyboard and Luke takes a seat on the stool next to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so we’re starting with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Julie and Luke begin playing, neither looking at their instruments. They only have eyes for each other. When the song finishes, Cadence claps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was amazing, guys!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex and Reggie take their spots. A stagehand takes Luke’s stool and, once everyone’s ready, Julie starts them off. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t blink./ No, I don’t want to miss it./ One thing and it’s going back to the beginning./ cause everything is rushing in fast/ keep holding on, never look back./ And it’s one, two, three, four times/ that I’ll try for one more night...</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p><em><span>Stand Tall</span></em><span> ends with the four members of the band standing in a line. Luke’s guitar and Reggie’s bass are spun around to hang behind their backs and everyone links hands. They take a bow, and Cadence applauds.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Give it up for Julie and the Phantoms! Their national tour starts tomorrow night, so get your tickets while you can!”</span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The JATP songs are obviously identifiable, but the other song is called Drowning and it's from the movie Status Update.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. The Tour Begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ever since Andi had told the band that their first venue was the Orpheum, Luke had been counting down the minutes until the show. The Orpheum was a dream venue for Luke and knowing that he was scheduled to play there was exhilarating. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they wait backstage for their opening band to finish, Alex and Reggie wrestle Luke onto his back on the couch in the dressing room, holding him still enough for Julie to straddle him and keep him in place. As much as they joke about Alex’s model strut when he’s anxious, it doesn’t compare to Luke that night in his excitement. Obviously, Luke could get Julie off of him if he put the effort in, but the plan to keep Luke from pacing a hole in the carpet works because, as everyone knows, he likes having Julie on top of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex and Reggie leave the dressing room, counting on Julie to keep Luke calm enough to wait to be called. Once the door closes behind them, Julie’s hands start moving. She runs her hands up under his shirt, caressing his chest. Her fingers trace the lines of his abs. When he tries to pull her head down to kiss her, she dodges his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No messing up my makeup!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d still look beautiful,” Luke protests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go on stage with my lipstick smeared on your mouth?” Luke looks like he’s seriously considering it. “Luke, no!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well, I definitely don’t want to go on stage hard, so you’re gonna have to get your hands off of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs, but does as instructed. She leans over, grabbing her notebook and a pen from the coffee table. “Want to write?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I read the rest of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Drowning</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Julie opens her book to the correct place and hands it to Luke. He sings the parts she points out as his, gazing gently into her eyes. They go through it again, this time as the duet it’s intended to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel like I’ve got the guitar bit right. It just- it’s missing something. I need something </span>
  <em>
    <span>big</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Different. I just don’t know what.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie plays the trumpet,” Luke informs his wife. Julie’s eyes light up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s perfect! What if we add it here, and here, then move that drum bit there and...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! You’re a genius, babe!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A knock on the door startles them. “Hey, Julie, Luke, it’s time!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie clambers off of Luke and darts to the mirror to check her makeup. “You look perfect, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie rolls her eyes at her husband and touches up her lip gloss. “Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They leave the dressing room and join Alex and Reggie in the wings. The three guys take turns giving Julie a hug, then she heads on stage. She takes her spot at the keyboard and the room darkens, save for a spotlight on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, everyone! Thanks for coming out tonight. I’m Julie Patterson of Julie and the Phantoms. The Phantoms will join us after this first song, but we’d like to start by dedicating this show to my mom, Rose, whose song </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake Up</span>
  </em>
  <span> gave us the title for our album. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake Up</span>
  </em>
  <span> was written as my mom’s attempt at offering me solace in the days and weeks following her death. She wanted to show me, as I now choose to show the world, that sometimes, just getting up is enough. Some days, it seems impossible to even wake up, but doing that is still important. This song is for everyone who’s ever grieved, everyone who’s lost someone, whether it’s a friend, family member, or even yourself. Wake up, even if it’s all you do.” The audience claps and Julie glances over at Luke and the guys in the wings. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Here's one thing I want you to know/ You got someplace to go/ Life's a test, yes, but you go toe-to-toe/ You don't give up, no, you grow/ And you use your pain/ 'Cause it makes you "you"/ Though I wish I could hold you through it/ I know it's not the same/ You got living to do/ And I just want you to do it/ So get up, get out, relight that spark/ You know the rest by heart</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the song finishes, Julie feels a weight that she didn’t realize she was carrying lift off of her shoulders. Performing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake Up</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a sold-out theater is everything her mother could have wanted for her and she’s proud to have grown from the sad girl who just wanted her mother back into the strong woman who uses her pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the rest of the band joins Julie on stage, Luke squeezes her shoulder as he passes behind her. She glances at him and nods. ‘I’m okay,’ she mouths. He grins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t that amazing? My wife, everyone!” Luke announces into his microphone. The audience cheers. “This next song is called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bright</span>
  </em>
  <span> and you’re gonna get to hear all of us this time, not just Julie, which sucks for you because she’s objectively the most talented of us all.” Julie blushes. “Take it away, babe!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the end of Bright, Julie walks back over to her keyboard. “Okay, so before we get into our next song, I’d like to introduce the guys. Over on the drums, we have Alex,” Alex waves a drumstick in the air then does a short drum solo, “our bassist, Reggie,” Reggie waves excitedly, “and, of course, my husband, Luke, a literal legend on the guitar.” Luke rolls his eyes, pointing back at Julie. “Luke wants me to introduce myself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so in case anyone forgot in the last ten minutes, I’m Julie. This next song is called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall</span>
  </em>
  <span>. This one is for everyone who’s ever been afraid, alone, or lost. Step into your greatness and stand tall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie begins the opening notes. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t blink./ No, I don’t want to miss it./ One thing and it’s going back to the beginning./ cause everything is rushing in fast/ keep holding on, never look back./ And it’s one, two, three, four times/ that I’ll try for one more night...</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Alex does his solo, the crowd goes wild and Julie is nearly certain that she hears Willie yell, “That’s my boyfriend!” Reggie’s solo is met with equal enthusiasm, but no relationship claims. When the whole band sings the last lines a capella, the room is silent. As the last notes fade, it bursts into noise again, the cheering deafening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall</span>
  </em>
  <span>. This next one, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Edge of Great</span>
  </em>
  <span>, is where Luke will attempt to prove Julie’s claims that he’s a guitar legend,” Alex rolls his eyes. “She might be a little bit biased.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Have some faith, man!” Luke objects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m surrounded by children,” Julie complains. The audience chuckles. “For real, though, the guitar solo in this one is fire. Get ready because Luke is about to blow your minds.” Julie begins playing again, then opens her mouth. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Running from the past/ tripping on the now./ What is lost can be found, it’s obvious./ And like a rubber ball/ We come bouncing back/ we all got a second act/ inside of us.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s guitar solo does, indeed, blow everyone’s mind. When the song is over, Luke asks, “So, did I earn Julie’s praise?” The room erupts into cheers. “Excellent! Next, a personal favorite of mine and the song that got us signed, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony.</span>
  </em>
  <span> My lovely wife wrote this one for me and I hope you all like it as much as I do!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex groans. “I hate it when we play this one. As a gay man, it’s extremely uncomfortable to watch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke flips him off. “If you don’t want to watch, you can go backstage. You’re not in this song.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex takes that advice, standing up from his drum set. He leans down, level with his microphone. “I’ll be back when they’re done being sappy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie looks between Alex’s retreating back and Luke and Julie. “Uh, yeah, I’m gonna let them have the stage for this one,” he says, following Alex off the stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on! We’re not that bad, are we?” Luke asks Julie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugs. “We do get kind of intense with this one.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Whose side are you on?” Luke protests.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Yours, mi alma, always yours.” She shoves her husband’s shoulder. “You start this one, remember?”</span></p><p>
  <span>“I know the song, Jules!” He walks back over to his microphone. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Step into my world/ Bittersweet love story 'bout a girl/ Shook me to the core/ Voice like an angel/ I've never heard before...</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Here, in front of me/ they’re shining so much brighter/ than I have ever seen/ Life can be so mean/ but when he goes, I know he doesn’t leave.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s voice blends with Luke’s as they move into the chorus. Slowly, he approaches Julie, eventually coming to share her mike. The song goes by quickly, ending with their foreheads touching, just like in the video they’d posted a few months ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex and Reggie come back onstage. “Okay, so, now that you’ve seen them perform </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony </span>
  </em>
  <span>live, who was right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Voices shout names, but it’s impossible to tell who wins. Reggie grins. “Make yourself heard if you think Alex is right and they’re uncomfortable to watch.” Scattered clapping and cheers spread through the room. “And if you think Luke’s right and they’re not that bad, now’s your time to be loud.” The cheers for Luke are louder, but not by much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha!” Luke sticks his tongue out at Alex.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again, children, all of you,” Julie huffs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but you love us,” Reggie says. “Especially Luke.” He wiggles his eyebrows and Julie blushes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, this next song is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally Free,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Julie deflects, starting to play. As will become typical of their shows, Luke and Julie end up sharing mikes frequently throughout the set.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The band finishes the show with two encores before boarding their tour busses to head to their next city.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Happy Birthday, Luke (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The band celebrates Luke's birthday and Reggie meets someone.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was written late at night and I might have been a bit sleep deprived. I hope it's still good.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luke wasn’t expecting much for his twenty-second birthday. They were on tour, after all. He was just glad that they were playing a series of consecutive shows in cities close enough together for them to spend the night before and after in hotels. Alex and Willie (who had hired someone to take care of the record shop and then signed on as a roadie) share a room, Reggie has his own room, and Luke gets to share a room with his wife. He’s honestly thrilled to get to sleep somewhere that isn’t moving and Julie agrees. (She’s mostly glad because it means she can order room service so that Luke can have breakfast in bed for his birthday.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the food arrives, Julie sets it on the desk in the corner of the room and climbs onto the bed. She hovers over Luke, waking him up with a kiss. “Happy birthday, mi alma!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tries to climb off of him to grab the tray, but Luke pouts and refuses to let her move. She giggles, letting him kiss her for a bit longer, before pulling away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, I wasn’t done kissing you...” He whines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got you peanut butter-banana waffles, though!” Julie brings over the plate. “And... because I love you and it’s your birthday...” She digs out a can of pringles. Luke whoops in excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the best!” He crumbles the chips over the waffles, then dumps the little cup of syrup over the whole thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie cringes. “How can you eat that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good!” He says, taking another big bite. Julie grabs her own plate of waffles (these ones plain) and adds some syrup. “That’s just boring.” Luke glares at her plate like it’s personally offended him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie just laughs. When they finish eating, Julie places the plates outside the room in the hallway. Luke is still on the bed and opens his arms to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, get up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pouts. “But it’s my birthday!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “Yes, it is. But we have plans for today, babe, and they don’t involve staying in bed all day.” Seeing that she has her husband’s attention, she tosses him a shirt, some jeans, and a pair of boxers. “Get dressed!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie goes into the bathroom to get dressed, knowing that her plan to get Luke out of the hotel room will not succeed if she changes in front of him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Though that would be enjoyable, too,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she muses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they’re both ready, they meet Willie, Alex, and Reggie in the lobby. The guys wish Luke a happy birthday. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uber’s here!” Julie announces, leading them out to the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Luke asks as they pile in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! And no one else tell him,” Julie warns. “It’s a surprise!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the Uber pulls up outside a mall, Luke looks confused. “We’re... going shopping?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At one beary specific store,” Reggie quips. Luke’s confusion lasts until they arrive outside Build-A-Bear Workshop, where it turns into giddy excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re making Build-A-Bears?” Julie nods. Luke swings her around in his arms. “This is so worth getting out of bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you.” Luke drags Julie inside by the hand, leading her to the bins of unstuffed animals. “So I thought I’d make you one and you’d make me one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” Luke immediately selects a purple unicorn. “Because you’re magical and your stuffed animal needs to be, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. She takes a little bit longer to decide, but eventually selects a bunny. “My parents took me to a Build-A-Bear when I was a kid and I made one of these, so that’s what you get. Then our bunnies can be friends!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie’s face lights up when he discovers a longhorn cow. “I have to make a cowboy cow!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex and Willie decide to make matching bears because “It’s called the timeless bear for a reason, Luke. It’s a classic!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The worker stationed nearby chuckles. “You guys are adorable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Animals in hand, they troop over to the stuffing station. Julie and Luke each make custom recording voice boxes for their animals, both choosing to have their animals say “I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex rolls his eyes. “You guys are so cheesy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean you don’t want to do that, too?” Willie asks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex frowns. “Damn it. They win.” The whole group laughs as Willie and Alex record their own ‘I love you’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie chooses to leave out the voice box, saying that they make the stuffed animal less cuddly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once everyone’s animals are appropriately stuffed, they give them their ‘baths’ and head over to the outfit walls. There, Reggie encounters a girl around his age muttering to herself about “how the hell do they not have leather jackets?” Reggie looks around, shocked to realize that the girl is right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No leather jackets? That’s a travesty!” He exclaims. “I think I used that word right. Alex, did I use that word right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl turns to look at him. “You used that word right. Ooh, speaking of leather jackets, I like yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” Reggie notices the cow in her hands. “Oh, you’re making the cow too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Duh. The cow is objectively the best option.” The girl pauses. “I’m Alina.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke comes over, then, and slings an arm over Reggie’s shoulder. “Making friends?” He’s no longer holding the unicorn. He now has his bunny, which is wearing a shirt that says ‘happy birthday,’ jeans, and, for the irony, bunny slippers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess. This is Alina. Alina, this is my bandmate, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys are in a band?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, who’s this?” Julie pops up from behind Luke. She’s holding the unicorn that Luke made her, which is wearing... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A wedding dress? Really, Luke?” Alex says, arriving with Willie, both of whom are clutching bears dressed like each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bride for my beautiful bride.” Alex mimes gagging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie decides to introduce the others. “Alina, these dorks are the rest of the band. Julie, our lead singer and keyboardist,” Julie waves, “her husband, Luke, who plays guitar,” Luke nods, “and Alex, who’s basically a drum </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Alex flushes at the praise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m Willie, Alex’s boyfriend and also Luke’s former boss and now one of the band’s roadies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A roadie? Are you guys on tour?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, promoting our first album.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say your band was called?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie and the Phantoms, tell your friends,” they all say in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you’re Julie and the Phantoms? I thought you looked familiar!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve heard of us? That’s rad!” Luke and Alex high five.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heard of you? I love your music. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span> was so romantic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Reggie, I approve!” Luke offers his fist to Alina, who bumps it. “Are you coming to our show tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Alina says, frowning. “I couldn’t get tickets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie holds out his hand. Alex passes Willie his bear, then goes digging through his fanny pack, handing Reggie a slip of paper and a badge on a lanyard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here’s a ticket and a backstage pass,” Reggie grins, giving Alina the items in question. “If you can make it, we’ll get you a shirt, size beautiful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reginald, what have we discussed about that line?” Luke raises an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought it was funny,” Alina says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god, they’re practically soul mates!” Julie declares.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just, come to our show, okay?” Alex herds them all away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They wait an appropriate distance away while Reggie exchanges phone numbers with Alina. Once she’s gone, the guys all crowd around Reggie, clapping him on the shoulder and congratulating him on getting the number of a cute girl.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the Build-A-Bear website while writing this chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Happy Birthday, Luke (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The show scheduled for the evening of Luke’s birthday was at the Rave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Luke didn’t honestly care where he was playing, he was just thrilled to spend his birthday on stage with his family. The soundcheck ends having gone perfectly and the band heads into the dressing room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they wait for their show, Reggie keeps checking his phone and grinning. “Who’s texting you, Reg? Alina?” Luke wiggles his eyebrows at Reggie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what if she is?” Reggie’s defensiveness has Luke raising his hands in surrender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, I didn’t mean anything by that, Reggie. I’m glad you’re having fun texting her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex sighs. “Reg, we don’t want you to feel like the fifth wheel. If you like Alina, that’s great. If you don’t, that’s okay, too. We just want you to be happy, man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A knock on the door startles them. “Hey, Reggie? I’ve got a visitor for you,” one of the crew members calls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooooh...” Luke grins, sounding like a middle schooler when a classmate gets called to the principal’s office.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie flips Luke off, getting up to open the door. Alina is on the other side, backstage pass around her neck and a red flannel open over her t-shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Alina. I’m glad you could make it.” Reggie can tell that he’s coming across awkwardly, but he’s nervous. He really likes Alina and doesn’t want to ruin things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alina!” Julie squeals, giving her a hug. Reggie smiles when Alina returns it, not seeming uncomfortable. “I love the flannel. Very Reggie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie and Alina both blush. “Flannels are essential wardrobe components,” Reggie says defensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a bad thing!” Julie protests. “You guys look cute, all matchy.” Reggie notes then that he, too, is wearing a red flannel. “So, Alina, tonight’s gonna be a special show. It’s Luke’s birthday and I’ve got a few surprises lined up for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do?” Luke asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy birthday, Luke,” Alina says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke throws an arm around her shoulder, leading her into the room. “Thanks. Hey, so we’ve got our set list pretty much ironed out but is there anything you want us to make sure to play tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now or Never</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Or </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Alina’s decisive, that’s for sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So... you want a song where Reggie has a solo, then,” Alex points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not you, too!” Reggie huffs. “I’m sorry about them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, don’t be. You guys have the greatest dynamic. You’re all like siblings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke and Julie make matching disgusted faces. “We act like siblings?” They ask at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, definitely not,” Alina is quick to clarify. “The two of you are so ridiculously lovey-dovey that it’s almost nauseating.” She blushes. “I’m sorry, that was rude!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not wrong, though,” Alex mutters. “There’s a reason they have a separate tour bus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What I meant was, aside from the interactions between Jukebox and Willex, you all act like siblings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jukebox?” Luke asks at the same time as Willie asks “Willex?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those are your ship names. You haven’t heard that before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god!” Julie squeals. “People ship us? That’s amazing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, what does that even mean? They want to put us on a boat?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie bursts out laughing. “No, honey. No. Shipping people means that you think they belong together. Like, okay, let’s look at it this way. You think Alex and Willie are a cute couple, right? You support them being together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I mean, they’re happy and that’s what I want for my friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, so you ship them. It’s short for relationship.” Julie shakes her head at her husband. “How have you not heard someone say they ship something before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what’s a Willex?” Julie rolls her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so Willex is a ship name, which is a mashup of the individuals’ names. Like the first syllable from Willie is Will- and the second syllable of Alex is -ex and if you stick those together, you get Willex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why are we Jukebox? Neither of our names have ‘box’ in them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m guessing people thought Juke was too generic?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina nods in agreement. “Yeah, it’s one of those things where they’re both technically correct but people have a preference.” She pauses. “You could probably settle the debate by declaring a preference.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie tugs out her phone from Luke’s pocket, where it’s been since she got dressed for the show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why is your phone in Luke’s pocket?” Alex asks, uncertain if he actually wants to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where else would it be? This dress doesn’t have pockets.” Julie opens her camera app and presses her lips against his cheek. Somehow, she manages to take a really good selfie despite the fact that she wasn’t looking at the screen. “Jukebox, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You play music from a jukebox.” Luke says that as though it actually answers his wife’s question. As far as Alina can tell, it does, though she’s not sure how.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her phone buzzes as her Instagram app notifies her that there’s a new post by a follower. She looks at it and grins. “That picture came out cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You follow me on Insta?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Duh, you’re basically perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, Alina... Reggie, I approve.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie huffs. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We ship Regina,” Luke tries out the unfamiliar term. Alina and Reggie blush, but Julie grins at her husband like he’s the answer to everything she’s ever wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Exactly, Luke. Perfect usage and A+ on the ship name.” Julie high fives Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another knock at the door saves Reggie from trying to formulate a response. “Hey, Phantoms, it’s time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One minute,” Luke says, sticking his head out the door. He gets a thumbs up, so he comes back into the room. “Okay, band circle!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina’s brow wrinkles, but she’s the only one who’s confused. Julie and her phantoms gather in a circle, linking hands. “We’re gonna go out there and have the best show yet. We know we’re stars, especially Julie,” Julie blushes at that, “and we’re gonna prove to everyone why Julie and the Phantoms deserve this tour. Legends on three?” They all put their hands in the middle and Luke counts them off. “One, two, three. Legends!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last word is shouted by all four of the band members and then they’re running out of the dressing room and onto the stage, grabbing guitars and drumsticks as they go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina joins Willie in the wings, prepared for a show like no other, or so she thinks. The show that her new friends put on blows every expectation out of the water. Julie’s bouncing around the stage, sharing a mike with Luke and rocking out with her back to Reggie’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a pause between songs and Julie starts talking into the mike. “Okay, Milwaukee, I need your help!” The audience goes quiet, listening carefully. “Now, you all know my husband, Luke, right?” Luke waves. “Yeah, it’s his birthday today and I was hoping I could get you all to help me sing happy birthday to him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A cheer goes through the crowd. “Okay, Alex, give us a beat.” Alex starts a funky drum rhythm and Julie starts singing. “Happy birthday to you...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s face is bright red as the whole audience joins in. He grins when Willie comes out of the wings after the song, a cake with two lit candles in the shape of a number two on top. “Make a wish, man!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke shakes his head. “I don’t need to make a wish. I’ve got everything I need right here.” He blows out the candles anyway. Willie takes the cake back into the wings as Luke keeps talking. “I mean, look at this! I’ve got a beautiful, perfect wife, the best band ever, and I’m on a national tour where an entire theater full of people just sang happy birthday to me! What more could I want?” He pauses. “Reggie, grab your trumpet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Willie comes back on stage, holding a trumpet as requested. Reggie takes it. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Drowning</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” he confirms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Okay, this next song was written for me by the most amazing girl in the world, my wife, Julie Patterson.” Julie flushes. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>The ocean is heavy/ your current is strong/ you’re pulling me deeper/ been here all along./ Remember the time I first saw you/ I thought you could be mine and it felt so good/ one look in your eyes and I swear I knew</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie joins in then, harmonizing perfectly. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Of your kiss, your touch, your love./ And I can’t breathe/ I’m struggling/ my heart’s at ease/ because I’m drowning/ cause I’m drowning in your love.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie takes over, singing solo. Alina feels almost uncomfortable watching as Julie’s eyes lock with Luke’s. They slowly move closer, orbiting around each other. When one moves, the other moves too, the couple in perfect harmony. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Huh</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alina muses, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that must be where the lyrics came from</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finish </span>
  <em>
    <span>Drowning</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it’s almost a relief. It’s a good song, a great one, really, but it’s intimate. Julie and Luke genuinely look like they’re the only people in the world, despite being on stage in front of thousands of people. Alex clears his throat, breaking Jukebox apart before they do something like start making out on stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well, that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Drowning</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Next up, a song for a new friend of Reggie’s, here’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now or Never</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie walks off the stage, a crew member handing her a bottle of water. She downs the whole thing practically in one gulp before handing the empty back to the person who gave it to her. She shakes her head when she’s offered another, turning to face Alina.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, thoughts?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god, Julie, you guys are brilliant in recordings, but you’re a million times better live. And you dedicated this one for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Duh, you asked for it.” Julie quiets, turning to watch the guys rock out. After </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now or Never</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Julie runs back out onto the stage and they finish the show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke decides, and openly confesses, that this was the best birthday he’s ever had. Julie just grins, hugging him despite the layer of sweat coating both of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The evening becomes one that Alina will never forget, especially not after Reggie shoots her a text the next morning, saying that he’d like to stay in touch, despite having to move on with the tour.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Pattersons vs. Pattersons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which we learn that Luke cannot braid.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm gonna be honest, not sure where this chapter came from. Also, I know nothing about taking care of hair like Julie's so I did a bit of googling and then just BSed the rest of it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As much as they loved being on tour, Julie and her phantoms are relieved to be home. Reggie, who had spent the remainder of the tour Facetiming with Alina, is thrilled because she is coming to visit him for Thanksgiving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turns out that Alina spent most of her childhood in foster care, having been taken away from an awful mother who spent ninety percent of her time either high or drunk, often both. When Julie hears that Alina doesn’t have anywhere to go for holiday celebrations and was therefore planning on doing nothing, she made Reggie extend an invite to the Molina Family Thanksgiving Extravaganza (tm), which he was happy to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It saddens Julie when she realizes that out of the entire band and their significant others, she is the only one with a supportive, genuinely good (or even not dysfunctional, a much lower bar) relationship with her biological family. It’s this sadness that motivates Julie to encourage Luke to try to see his parents again. She knows that the Pattersons have never been supportive of Luke’s decision to pursue a career in music, but he’s successful now. Maybe, she hopes, they will see that Luke is genuinely talented and that his decision to take a leap of faith was worth it. Julie and the Phantoms are up for a bunch of awards at the 2021 Grammys and are favored to win. If that doesn’t impress Mitch and Emily, then nothing will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Julie and Luke stand outside the Pattersons’ house, she promises him that if this doesn’t go well, she will never bring it up again. He nods nervously and Julie wraps him in a big hug. “I’ve got your back, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” Luke rings the doorbell, waiting anxiously for someone to answer the door. This time, Emily is the one who opens it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke! And Julie, how nice to see you again.” She steps back, making room for them to come in. “Can I get you anything to drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some water would be great,” Julie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sits down on the armchair he’d occupied last time they were there and pulls Julie down onto his lap, sitting the same way as they had months prior. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Emily, did I hear the door?” Mitch asks, stopping short when he enters the room to see Luke and Julie. “Oh, hello, Luke. I see you brought back Julie, that’s wonderful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emily returns, then, with their waters. She hands Luke his cup and watches as he passes it over to Julie before accepting his own. Luke’s glass gets set down immediately, not even sipped at. Julie takes a drink from her water, then frowns at Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mi alma, you’re gonna get dehydrated. We have rehearsal tonight and you know how you get if you haven’t had enough to drink before practice.” Julie lifts her glass to Luke’s lips. He sighs, taking it from her. He sips at it slowly until Julie nods her approval, at which point he offers it back to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still doing the band, then?” Mitch asks. Luke tenses under Julie. She throws an arm around his shoulder and starts rubbing circles on his collarbone with her thumb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we just got back from our tour. Sold-out shows across the country.” Julie grins. “We were promoting our album.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’d the album do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nominated for Album of the Year at this year’s Grammys,” Luke says proudly. “We’re favored to win all six awards we’re up for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s exciting! Julie, you must be very proud. Following in your mother’s footsteps, and all. I’m sure she’s looking down on you and smiling.” Emily’s words make Julie frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mama wouldn’t have cared if I never sold a single album, so long as I was enjoying my music.” Julie huffs. “I think we should go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just got here!” Emily protests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and we only came because I was hoping you would finally understand how gifted your son is. Mrs. Patterson, we just told you that your son was nominated for </span>
  <em>
    <span>six</span>
  </em>
  <span> Grammys and you didn’t even congratulate him. We went on a major tour, playing sold-out shows at major venues across the country and you didn’t even congratulate him.” Julie turns to Luke. “I’m sorry, babe. I should have listened to you. Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke silently follows Julie out of the house. He sits Julie sideways on his motorcycle then steps between her legs and kisses Julie. “Thank you, baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For what? You just had to deal with your parents for nothing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You stood up for me in a way that no one has ever done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The guys-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The guys stopped coming over before things got that bad. You yelled at my parents because they’re assholes and I appreciate your support. We’re never going to come back here, but at least I showed them that my faith in myself was not misplaced. That means a lot to me, so thank you, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie cups his face in her hands. “You’re still so tense, though. What can I do to help you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke tilts his head, considering. An idea pops into his head and he thinks back, trying to make sure it’s possible. “Tonight’s a hair night, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods, confused. “Yeah. Are you saying my hair looks bad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! No, your hair looks beautiful. It always does, babe. My point was- I was, uh, I was hoping I could do it for you.” Julie frowns. “It’s soothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> dealing with my hair?” She huffs. “More power to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a yes?” Luke asks hopefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie chuckles. “Yes. You can do my hair for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke picks his wife up off of the bike and carefully replaces her such that she’s positioned for the ride home. He plops his helmet on his head, then passes her hers (they’ve learned the hard way that Luke is awful at getting her helmet on properly for her). As soon as the safety precautions are out of the way, they’re flying down the street. It takes everything in Luke to keep from speeding in his excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, they reach the house. Luke parks the motorcycle and leads Julie into the house. They deposit their helmets on the designated shelf by the door and Luke tugs Julie through the house to the stairs. They pass Ray in the living room and he stops them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the rush, mijos?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We had a hard afternoon. We went to see Luke’s parents. It didn’t go well, so now Luke’s going to do my hair.” Julie rolls her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s going to do your hair?” Ray repeats, shocked. He knows exactly how much time and how many products go into making Julie’s hair cooperate to her satisfaction and he can’t believe that Luke actually wants to deal with that. On hair nights, Julie can spend up to an hour using assorted creams and magical, mysterious hair potions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apparently it’s soothing?” Julie shrugs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mijo?” Ray wants clarification.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get to play with Julie’s hair for, like, an hour. What’s not to like?” Luke grins. “Plus, it’s stressful for her and taking care of things that stress Julie out makes me happy.” He pauses. “I had a bad day, let me cope with it however I want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray stops to consider this. “I suppose there are way worse coping methods you could be using.” He sighs. “At least it’s not drugs. Have fun?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last sentence comes off as a question, mostly because Ray still doesn’t understand the appeal, but Luke’s smile brightens anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I will.” He takes his wife’s hand and leads her up the stairs. They enter the bathroom and Luke takes off his shirt. “So it won’t get wet,” he explains at his wife’s raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much do you want to do?” Julie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything,” Luke replies instantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you’re gonna have to get in the shower with me.” Luke’s response to that is to strip the rest of the way. Julie takes a moment to ogle her naked husband before she pulls a plastic basket full of products out from under the sink and lines them up on the counter. “Okay, so we start at the left and go to the right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s eyes widen. “That’s a lot of products.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure you wanna do this?” Julie offers him the opportunity to back out. She explains what each product is and what it does, Luke nodding thoughtfully the whole time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he says finally. He steps into the shower and turns the water on. He holds his hand under the stream to check the temperature, then sticks his head out around the curtain. “You coming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie giggles at the face he makes. She tugs her clothes off quickly and gets into the shower. She stands under the stream of water, thoroughly saturating her hair. Luke’s eyes follow the trails of water as the droplets run down her body. Julie snaps her fingers in his face. He blinks, startled, then refocuses on the task at hand. He grabs the shampoo she’d told him to use and asks her how much to use.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie takes the bottle from him and pours the correct amount into his hand. She turns around so that her back is to him and squeezes her eyes shut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, go ahead.” Luke soaps up her hair, enjoying the feeling of her curls between his fingers. He massages her scalp as he washes. Julie moans softly. “Why does that feel so good?” She asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke chuckles. “Do you get it now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie doesn’t answer, ducking her head under the water to rinse out the shampoo. Luke tugs her fingers away from her head, taking over washing out the soap. When there’s no trace of bubbles left, he holds out his hand for the next product. The conditioner goes in then Luke stands there, confused about why Julie’s not washing it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you leave the conditioner in for a few minutes,” Julie explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. How about I wash your hair while we wait?” Luke nods eagerly, squeezing some of his shampoo into her hand. He frowns when he realizes that Julie has to stand on her toes to reach well enough, so he gets down on his knees. Julie soaps his hair up, then rinses it out. This takes up enough time, so she then has Luke wash out the conditioner from her hair. “Okay, so the rest I do while my hair’s still wet, but not in the shower.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie hands him a loofah loaded with her body wash and Luke grins, running it over her skin. He pays special attention to the more sensitive regions of her body, chuckling as she swats him away. When it’s Julie’s turn to wash him, she teases him back. He groans when she stops touching him but rinses off anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie shuts off the water. They take turns drying each other off, then Julie tugs on one of Luke’s shirts, draping a towel around her shoulders, and they both put on pajama pants. Julie sends him to retrieve a stool from her room. When he returns, she plops down on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, now what, boss?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie hands him a jar of a creamy product. “This stuff. All over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even the roots?” Luke confirms, remembering Julie’s instructions with the conditioner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even the roots,” Julie agrees. Luke scoops a glob of the product into his hand, showing it to Julie to check that it’s the right amount. “Yeah, looks good. Try and get it as evenly spread as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the creamy stuff is applied, Julie turns around on the stool she’d been sitting on. She fixes him with a searching look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know how to braid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve watched you braid? Does that count?” Julie rolls her eyes. “I’m happy to learn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so you start by combing my hair out.” She hands him the comb in question, turning back to face the mirror. “Start at the ends and slowly work your way up. Be gentle and don’t force it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nods seriously. “Tell me if I’m hurting you. I don’t ever want to hurt you, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie smiles at him, meeting his eyes through the mirror. “I know. You won’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke slowly and carefully detangles Julie’s curls, proud to only make her wince once. “Braiding time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Braiding time. Okay, so we’re going to do two French braids.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does speaking French help with making French braids?” Luke jokes. Julie rolls her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Okay, so what you’re going to do is split my hair into two chunks right down the middle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke uses the comb to trace her part down the back of her head, gently teasing her hair into two sections. Julie pulls one of the sections around to the front of her head, getting it out of the way. She tries to explain how to braid her hair, but eventually, she and Luke give up. He’s not getting it and her hair is starting to get too dry. She wants the braids in while it’s wet, so she takes over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke watches as her fingers fly through the braids, impressed. “How did you do that?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She ties off the second braid then meets his eyes in the mirror. “Practice.” He looks at her hopefully. “Fine, I’ll let you try again, but not tonight, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nods again. “Thank you for this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grins at her husband. “Thank </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You might be my new hairdresser.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am absolutely okay with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A knock on the door startles them. It’s Ray. “Mija, you almost done? Dinner’s ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie hangs up the towel from around her shoulders, then opens the door. “Yeah. We’re done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke follows her out of the bathroom, detouring in her room to grab a shirt. Julie pouts when he joins them in the kitchen. She wraps her arms around him, tugging on the back of his shirt. Luke smirks at her. “Hey, don’t be like that. You know your dad has rules about shirts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stupid rules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke rolls his eyes at his wife. Carlos comes in then, and tugs on the end of one of Julie’s braids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Papí says Luke did your hair. How badly did it go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Luke exclaims.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He actually did a really good job, Carlos.” Julie defends her husband.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The braids do look normal,” Carlos muses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie chuckles. “I did them. We discovered that Luke’s hair skills do not extend to braids.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Thanksgiving (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Alex, Willie, Reggie, and Alina (whose flight had gotten in late the day before) arrive at the Molinas’ bright and early Thanksgiving morning, all excited to celebrate a real family Thanksgiving for the first time in years. Ray is the only one who’s awake when they arrive, so they introduce Alina to him and then go to wake Julie and Luke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie throws open the bedroom door and jumps onto the bed, landing on top of the couple already occupying it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reginald…” Julie whines as Luke shoves the bassist off of the bed and onto the floor. “What are you doing here so early?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We got excited! It’s our first Thanksgiving with an actual, real family in...” He counts on his fingers. “Seven years? Alex, is that right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex tilts his head, considering. “Well, the last one was at my parents’ the year before I came out, which was… yeah, seven years sounds about right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s glare softens at this explanation. “It’s been seven years since you’ve had a family Thanksgiving?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie nods. Julie looks at her husband, who is sitting up against the headboard. “Roughly,” Luke confirms. “But it’s been even longer since we had a family Thanksgiving that didn’t end in either injury or tears.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or both,” Alex adds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s eyes tear up. “That’s so sad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, baby, no, please don’t cry. We always had each other and now we have you and your dad and Carlos and Tía Victoria and Alina and Willie. We’re okay, promise!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie tucks herself into Luke’s side. She waves a hand at the people still crowded in the doorway. “We’ve got cuddling to do. You can stay and hang out or you can go, but Luke needs cuddles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure you’re the one who needs cuddles and that you’re using me as an excuse,” Luke points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want the cuddles or not?” Julie asks, eyebrow raised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex nopes out of the room, not wanting to see the disgustingly sappy looks and soft touches that are sure to follow that challenge. Willie rolls his eyes at his boyfriend and follows him downstairs. Reggie grabs Alina’s hand and leads her out, saying something about hanging out with Ray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Julie and Luke finally get up, she makes sure to wear one of his shirts. She wants today to be perfect for him (and the others but mostly Luke) and she knows he loves her in his shirts. Luke grins as she steps out of the bathroom, tying off the braid she’d unfortunately had to redo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look beautiful, mon amour.” Luke kisses her on the forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they enter the living room where everyone has congregated, Alex snorts. “Julie, I think you wear Luke’s shirts more than he does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie blushes, hiding her face in Luke’s shirt when Ray agrees. “I’ve seen Luke shirtless way too often.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like it when she wears my shirts,” Luke protests. The room erupts in laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s wearing your ring, dude, I don’t think you need her to wear your shirts, too,” Willie points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Willie, isn’t that Alex’s hoodie?” Julie raises an eyebrow. Willie looks down at himself then back up at Julie, embarrassed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You win.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, mijos. We need to figure out our plan of attack for cooking. Your Tía is bringing the pies and her homemade cranberry sauce. We need to make the turkey, gravy, carrots, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Who wants to do what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex raises his hands defensively. “I cannot cook. Assign me to something foolproof, preferably not cooking-related.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can mash the potatoes, then. The worst that can happen is that they’re lumpy,” Ray decides. “I guess I should ask: can any of you actually cook?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke can,” Reggie informs Ray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks at her husband, surprised. “You can cook?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s one of my many hidden talents.” He grins. “I’d be happy to help with the turkey.” He considers the remaining items on the prep list for a second. “I think I still have my mom’s gravy recipe somewhere on my phone. Say what you will about Emily Patterson but she was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span> cook.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex perks up. “You’re making your mom’s gravy? Score!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can make the stuffing,” Alina offers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, so we just need someone to make the carrots, then. Reggie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. I can probably do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll help you,” Alina says, putting a hand on Reggie’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I can help you with the potatoes, Alex.” Willie smiles at his boyfriend. “Between the two of us, we should be able to make them turn out okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so if I’m making the turkey, I need to know what time we plan to eat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Six?” Ray looks around for any objections. No one says anything, so he nods. “Six.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, and how many pounds is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Twelve,” Ray replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so that’s… twelve pounds times thirteen minutes per pound... about two and a half hours so I need to get it in the oven around three, then. I’ll take it out of the fridge at two, I think.” Julie’s staring at her husband, awed. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know how to cook a turkey? Like, without having to google it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s hot.” She blushes when she realizes she said that out loud. Everyone starts laughing, except for Ray who really wishes he hadn’t heard that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why is that hot?” Luke looks genuinely confused. Julie just shakes her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It just is. Why do you know how to cook a turkey?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cooking was the one thing my mom and I didn’t fight about. She was really good at it and she taught me everything I know.” Julie wraps Luke up in a hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well, I’m glad someone knows how to cook a turkey. Rose always did it and it was a disaster last year.” Ray tries to change the topic from… basically every part of the last minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks vaguely nauseated at the mention of the previous year’s turkey. “Oh, god, that was literally inedible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was wrong with it?” Alex asks, intrigued despite himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie just shakes her head. “If I want to eat turkey this year, we need to not talk about last year’s.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos finally comes down, just in time to hear mention of last year’s turkey. “Oh, no, we’re doing that again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Carlos, Papí isn’t in charge of the turkey this year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you making it?” Carlos’ expression says that he’s not sure whether that’s better or worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I am,” Luke declares.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos looks horrified. “You can’t cook.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever actually eaten anything I’ve cooked?” Luke raises an eyebrow at the kid, who concedes the point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He knew how long to cook the turkey without having to google it,” Julie points out. Carlos looks impressed despite himself.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Thanksgiving (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Everyone spends the remainder of the morning just lounging. At some point, Carlos puts a movie on, but mostly, people just chat and enjoy being with family. They eat a quick, light lunch, not wanting to be too full for dinner later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they eat lunch, Reggie and Alex raid the board game cabinet and an Uno tournament begins. Somewhere around the seventh consecutive game, Luke pauses to take the turkey out of the fridge. Julie follows him into the kitchen. The turkey gets set up on the roasting rack, then Luke washes his hands to get the raw meat juice off of them. Once his hands are clean, he tugs on one of Julie’s braids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna see me cook, is that it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “Yes. Exactly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too bad, babe. You’re gonna have to wait. The turkey just needs to sit there for about twenty minutes.” He punctuates that statement by setting a timer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Julie doesn’t actually care about the reasons why you do certain things to make a turkey, but she likes watching Luke talk about cooking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It dries out the skin, which lets it get crispier when you cook it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really do know what you’re doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Luke, you coming back to the Uno tournament?” Reggie calls from the living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I’m gonna stay in here,” Luke yells back. Then, in a quieter voice, he tells Julie that “there’s something I’d rather be doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He presses her against the fridge door and kisses her. She slides her hand up his back under his shirt, enjoying the feel of his muscles tensing under her fingers. Her other hand goes to tangle in his hair. His lips trail from her mouth down to her jaw and then to her neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, I swear to god, if you leave a mark…” Julie trails off. She tugs his hair, pulling his mouth back to hers. They kiss like that until the timer goes off, startling them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pulls away, going to the cabinet that holds the spices. “Rosemary, garlic powder, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika… Hey, Jules, do you know if you guys have any sage?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sticks her head into the living room. “Papí, do we have sage?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray looks amused. “Luke sure goes all out for a turkey, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It seems so. I’ll take that as a no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check the cabinet above the fridge. Sometimes there’s random spices up there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Papí.” She returns to the kitchen. “Check above the fridge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke rifles through the miscellaneous items up there, then pulls out a small bottle. “Aha! Sage.” He hands that to Julie, then grabs a lemon from the fridge. “Jules, can you preheat the oven to 350?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This, Julie can do and she does it, going to sit on the bar stool at the counter, careful to be out of the way. She watches intently as Luke moves around the kitchen with confidence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He zests the lemon then salts and peppers the interior cavity of the turkey. He rifles through the drawer full of cooking implements, coming up with a silicon brush. He somehow wiggles the brush under the skin of the turkey and uses it to spread olive oil around. He then brushes more oil over the outside of the turkey, then mixes the seasonings in a bowl with the zest. This is then rubbed all over the exterior of the turkey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie gapes at Luke. He’s so quick and efficient and he just seems to know exactly what he's doing. “Wow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks up from where he’s assessing the seasoning coverage. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just impressed! Don’t let me stop you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, babe, whatever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m serious! Papí didn’t do any of this last year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s brow furrows. “That explains why the turkey was so inedible.” He washes his hands, drying them just as the oven beeps, signalling that it’s fully preheated. “Can you open the oven door for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie hops up, opening the oven door just as Luke gets there with the turkey. He slides the roasting pan onto the oven rack and then shuts the oven door. He sets a timer on his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, we wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And wait, they do. Alina comes in towards the end and makes the stuffing. Ray boils the potatoes for the mashed potatoes. Alex finds he really likes mashing the potatoes and keeps doing it long after they’re fully smooth. Reggie roasts the carrots then glazes them with honey, and finally, the turkey is ready to come out of the oven.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke checks it with a thermometer, then sets it on the counter. He gathers the drippings from the pan and puts them in a pot on the stove. Julie watches as he combines the drippings with several other ingredients, then keeps stirring until he’s satisfied with the consistency of the gravy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tía Victoria shows up while the gravy is being finished. Willie, Alex, and Reggie meet her outside and help carry in the food that she brought. The completed dishes are put into serving vessels on the counter and then everyone is getting plates of food and gathering around the table. They’ve squeezed extra chairs in and there’s still not enough seats, so Julie sits on Luke’s lap. Ray just sighs. He’s gotten used to his daughter and his son (because despite technically being his son-in-law, Luke is Ray’s son in every way that matters) being touchy and as much as he doesn’t want to know about or see it, he’s happy that they’re happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke cuts a bite of the turkey off one of the pieces on his plate and holds it up to Julie on his fork. She closes her lips around it and chews thoughtfully. Swallowing, she glares at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell, Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That bad?” He frowns. He doesn’t know where he screwed up and he so desperately wanted it to be good for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bad? That was amazing! How can you be so good at cooking when you’re already good at, like, everything else?” Luke laughs, relieved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is really good turkey, mijo,” Ray agrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this gravy is way better than your mom’s.” Alex reaches for the gravy boat and dumps an ocean of gravy on top of his turkey and potatoes. “Like, way better!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, I added some rosemary.” Luke rolls his eyes. “But you don’t care, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex shakes his head, taking a big bite of mashed potatoes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go around and say something we’re thankful for this year,” Tía Victoria suggests. “Carlos?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thankful for an edible turkey,” he jokes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray mock-glares at him. “My turkey isn’t good enough for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Papí. Even you have to admit that it was a disaster.” Julie grins at her father. “We love you for trying, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Alex?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex swallows the mouthful of food he’d been chewing. “I’m grateful to all of you for inviting me and the guys! This is our first family Thanksgiving in a really long time and it’s been wonderful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, you’re always welcome here, Alex,” Victoria coos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Willie, who’s next to Alex, goes next. “I’m grateful for Julie and the Phantoms! You guys are legends and I’m proud to be your roadie as you achieve your dreams.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie smiles. “I’m gonna echo Alex and say that I’m grateful for being here, but also, I’m grateful that Julie said I could invite Alina. It’s our first holiday together and you guys are making it special.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina kisses Reggie on the cheek. “I’m thankful for Build-a-Bear Workshop.” Everyone chuckles, except for Tía Victoria, who hasn’t heard the story, so Alina explains for her sake. “Julie took Luke and the guys to make stuffed animals for his birthday and that’s where I met them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s sweet.” Tía turns to Ray next. “Ray?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m grateful to all of you boys for making Julie so happy, Luke, especially. You all brought music back to her and that’s all I could have asked for.” Julie’s eyes tear up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Ray. We love her and she makes us better,” Luke smiles at his wife, pressing a kiss to her cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tía Victoria is next. “I’m grateful for all of you. You’re all family now and you’re stuck with us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie and Alex fist bump, reaching around Willie. “Yes! We’ve got a family again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve always had a family with us,” Julie clarifies. “That’s what being a band does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke smiles. “I’m grateful for my wife, the most wicked beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I’m grateful for her family-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our family,” Julie corrects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-Our family, the guys, and our success as a band.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m grateful for Luke,” Julie says. Then she leans over to whisper in his ear. “And abs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke flushes, choking on his turkey. He coughs, glad that no one else could hear her. “Jules!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I said what I said.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to know,” Ray sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie starts eating again, acting completely innocent. Everyone takes that as their cue to keep eating, as well, and soon, thirds have been eaten and the leftovers are being wrapped up and put away. They retreat into the living room for a break before pie, to let their stomachs digest a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie gets up after a couple of minutes, excusing herself to the bathroom. When she’s not back after about ten minutes, Luke frowns. “I’m gonna go make sure Julie’s alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knocks on the bathroom door and gets no response, which confirms his suspicions that she’s not in there. He checks her room next, and finds that empty, too. He returns to the living room to make sure she hadn’t somehow gotten past him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She okay?” Alex asks, spotting Luke in the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t find her,” Luke says, concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, you can’t find her?” Ray wants to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s not in the bathroom or her room. I was checking to make sure she hadn’t come back here on my way to the studio.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well, if she’s not there, come get us and we’ll help you look,” Reggie offers. Luke nods, heading out to the studio.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s dark in there, the lights off, but he hears muffled sobbing coming from the loft. He flips on the lights before carefully climbing the ladder and frowning at the sight that meets him. “Oh, Jules...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is curled up with her back against the wall, a blanket that has the Rose and the Petal Pushers logo on it draped around her shoulders. She’s crying, breath coming fast. If it’s not a panic attack yet, it’s about to be. Luke climbs into the loft area, tugging his shirt off. It falls down into the main studio, but Luke doesn’t care. Julie needs him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, boss. Do you want a hug?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sets aside her unicorn and reaches for Luke. He holds her close, fully unravelling the braids that had started to come loose with his spare hand. He cards his fingers through the curls, letting her slip down to rest her head in his lap. Slowly, her breath settles and she reaches for Luke’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want to talk?” Luke asks. Julie opens her mouth but no words come out. “Would it help if I asked some questions? You can squeeze my hand once for yes and twice for no?” Julie squeezes once. “Okay, first question. Are you doing okay now?” Julie squeezes once. “Okay, that’s good. Did someone do something to upset you?” Julie squeezes twice. “Are you missing your mom?” One squeeze. “It’s hard having a holiday without her, isn’t it.” One squeeze. “I get it. Things with my parents aren’t good but it still kinda sucks not spending Thanksgiving with them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish she could have met you,” Julie whispers. “She would have loved you. All of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I could have met her.” Luke sighs. “I know it hurts. You don’t have to come out here and hide, though. You can talk to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel more connected to her out here,” Julie explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d have been happy to come out here and sit with you, mon amour. You never have to suffer alone. That’s what I’m for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were so excited about celebrating Thanksgiving as a family, though. I didn’t want to make you miss that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can celebrate Thanksgiving with the others later, or next year. You’re my priority, Jules.” Luke pauses to think. “What if everyone comes out here? We could have the pie and celebrate together in the space that reminds you of her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Julie’s whisper is barely audible, but Luke is listening so he catches it. He shoots a text to Alex, asking if he can get everyone out to the studio and bring the pies. Alex sends back a thumbs up and then the boisterous crowd comes out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke? Where are you guys?” Alex asks, seeing an empty studio.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re in the loft,” he calls back. Softly, he turns his attention to Julie. “You ready to go down there?” Julie tenses. “Okay, it’s okay, boss. We don’t have to go down there yet, or at all, if you’d prefer. We can just listen to them talk, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke relaxes as he feels Julie settle under his fingers. “Thanks, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything, babe.” Louder, he tells Alex, “Give us a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want me to bring you some pie?” Carlos asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie squeezes Luke’s hand once. “Pumpkin or apple, babe?” Julie lifts her head to look at Luke, eyebrow raised. “Pumpkin?” One squeeze. “Apple, too?” One squeeze. “Carlos, we’d each love a slice of both. Thanks, dude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With whip?” Carlos rolls his eyes at himself. “Of course, with whip. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Julie</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie chuckles softly. “He’s a good brother,” she whispers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments, Carlos’ head appears in the access hold to the loft. Someone that Luke can’t see hands him a plate, which Carlos sets down on the floor in front of them. “Where’s your shirt, man?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s down here, actually,” Reggie says, pointing to the item in question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke rolls his eyes. “I’m helping Julie, don’t judge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos’ hand reappears in the loft space, setting two forks down on the plate. “I’m going back down there. I do not want to see you shirtless, man. I want to keep my pie down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Carlos has disappeared down the ladder, Luke grabs the plate and forks. Julie whimpers at the movement. “Hey, it’s okay, mon amour. I’m here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They settle in the corner, sitting perpendicular to each other. Julie’s legs are thrown over Luke’s and the plate rests on top. They sit there contentedly, Luke feeding them pie. A bit of whip gets on Julie’s nose and Luke leans forward to kiss it away. Julie giggles and Luke grins, relieved that Julie is okay again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, their pie is gone and Julie is ready to leave their secret snuggle space. Luke goes down the ladder first, carrying the plate and forks. Julie follows him, still clutching the Petal Pushers blanket around her shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay, mija?” Ray asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “I just miss Mama.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We all do, sobrina,” Tía Victoria says. “But she’s here with us every day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina skillfully changes the subject by complimenting the pie and slowly, the conversation becomes light and cheerful. Overall, muses Julie, Thanksgiving was a success.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Hair</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Once Flynn’s winter break starts and she’s back in town, Luke encourages Julie to go and have a girl’s day. “Get your nails done or something. Go to the mall, catch up! You haven’t seen her in months, boss, and I know you miss her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re up to something. I don’t know what, but I do miss Flynn, so I’m gonna let it slide. If I come back to the house burnt down, though, you’re gonna be in so much trouble,” Julie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Julie has been picked up by Flynn, Luke tracks down Ray. “Hey, Ray, I need a favor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up, mijo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so remember how I did Julie’s hair for her?” Ray nods, amused. “I couldn’t get the braids right. I kept trying but it just wasn’t working. I want to learn how to do them so that I can surprise Julie, but I don’t have anyone to practice on.” Luke pauses then to catch his breath. “I went online and there’s a toy that’s like, a life size doll but just from the shoulders up. It’s for kids to practice doing hair, but I don’t wanna try and get it on my motorcycle. Can I borrow your car?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray tilts his head, considering. “You could, but I think we have something like that from when Julie was a kid. Want to come look?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s face lights up. “Absolutely!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray leads Luke up to the attic, where there are a bunch of boxes. He points to a pile labeled Julie- Toys. “It’s probably in one of those. The question is, which one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They start digging through the boxes, eventually unearthing the Barbie Styling Head. It’s a little beat up and the hair is tangled, but Luke holds it like it’s made of gold. “Thank you, Ray!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray just shakes his head, amused. “No problem, mijo.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They descend from the attic and Luke sits down at the kitchen counter. He has the styling tools from the doll and a spray bottle filled with water that Julie uses to mist plants. Luke gets to work detangling the doll’s hair, just like Julie had shown him how to do on hers. Eventually, the doll’s hair is smooth and snarl-free, so Luke grabs his laptop. He loads Youtube then pulls up a video that shows a basic braid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The video plays through twice while Luke takes notes. (He’s never taken notes in his life, but for Julie, he’ll do anything.) His first attempt at executing the braid results in the need to grab the comb again and detangle the doll’s hair, but the second try goes smoother. The third try is actually decent and by the fourth braid, he’s satisfied. “Okay,” he mutters to himself. “This is a start but Julie wanted a French braid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulls up a video on that. This is much more confusing, so he has to watch it almost half a dozen times and keep it playing while he tries. He huffs, frustrated, as his fingers fail to cooperate. He watches another video, hoping it will help clarify things. Slowly, he manages to get the braid to form. He undoes the braid and redoes it several times before deciding to try doing two on the doll. That is what Julie had asked him for, after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s just tying off the second braid when Ray comes in to make a sandwich for lunch. “That looks good, mijo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good enough?” Luke asks. “Like, would Julie keep it in if she was going out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so.” Ray honestly doesn’t know (Julie can be particular about her hair) but it looks good to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins. “Excellent!”</span>
</p><p><span>He spends the rest of the afternoon practicing, hurriedly hiding the doll head away once he hears Flynn’s car pull up shortly after they finish dinner.</span><span><br/></span> <span>Julie comes in, arms loaded up with shopping bags. Luke grabs a bunch of them, helping carry them up to her room.</span></p><p>
  <span>“How was your day?” Julie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretty good. Just hung around the house, watched some Youtube videos...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meh. How was hanging out with Flynn?” Luke deflects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Amazing. I’ve missed her so much.” Julie starts putting clothes away, pulling tags off and piling the shopping bags on her bed. “We got our nails done, then hit up the mall. Flynn’s majoring in fashion design, you know. She has to check out what’s in style.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to have her design your dress for the Grammys?” Luke suggests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god, Luke, you’re a genius! I gotta call her!” Luke chuckles as Julie grabs her phone and dials.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>What did you forget?</b>
  <span>” Flynn asks when she picks up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To ask you to design my dress for the Grammys!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The line is silent for a moment. “</span>
  <b>Are you serious?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yeah</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’re crazy talented and my best friend. Who else would I ask?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Like, an actual designer?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are an actual designer. I’m thinking purple?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Of course you are. A princess dress? Sparkly ball gown?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, this is why you’re designing my dress. You know me so well.” Julie chuckles. “It’s gonna be perfect, Flynn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn sighs, audible through the phone. “</span>
  <b>Just have a backup plan, okay?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not gonna need one,” Julie objects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>For my sanity, get a backup dress, okay?</b>
  <span>” Julie agrees reluctantly before they hang up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is she going to do it?” Luke asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods, excited. “She’s gonna design a sparkly, purple princess dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke raises an eyebrow. “Is that a good thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely. Remember my prom dress?” Julie pauses. “Or, I guess, technically my wedding dress?” Luke nods, smiling at the memory. “That was a princess dress. I like princess dresses. They make me feel like I’m in a fairytale.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you look beautiful in them, so I’m all for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, thank you, mi alma.” She sighs. “I’d better get started on my hair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, it’s a hair night,” Luke recalls. “I’ll do it for you, if you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “It’s so much less annoying when you do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They head into the bathroom, then, and get into the shower. Luke follows the same procedure as the time before and Julie doesn’t even have to help him at all. She just lets him do his thing. Finally, once they’re dry, she sits down on the stool and shuts her eyes, letting Luke put the leave-in conditioner in and comb her hair out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Done,” Luke announces. Julie opens her eyes, ready to put the braids in, but is shocked to realize that they’re already done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa! Did you do the braids?” Julie shakes her head. “Stupid question. How did you know how to do the braids?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke picks up the stool and leads her into her room. He digs around under the bed, finally coming up with the Barbie Styling Head he’d hidden there. “This and Youtube.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that what you were doing today? Learning how to braid hair?” Luke nods sheepishly. “Oh, my god, mi alma, that’s so sweet!” Julie launches herself into his arms, kissing him softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I do it right?” Luke asks worriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie walks over to the mirror above her dresser and turns her head this way and that, inspecting the braids. “Perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke fist-pumps the air. “Awesome! Are there any other hairstyles I should learn how to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Space buns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Space buns. They’re two buns on the top of the head.” She pulls out her phone, finding a picture. “Like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that looks cute!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie proceeds to show him several more styles she likes and Luke writes the names down on a sticky note, which he then sticks to some papers in the bag that holds the doll head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, are those... did you take notes?” Luke nods, blushing. “You never take notes on anything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But this was important,” Luke protests. “I wanted to surprise you, so I couldn’t ask you to tell me what I forgot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie kisses Luke, thanking whatever entity in the universe (she hopes it was her mom) that sent her such a wonderful husband.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to DeliriumDreams and EchoCharm for their help with the gift ideas!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Christmas morning, Julie and Luke wake up to Carlos jumping onto their bed. “Julie, Luke! Get up! We need to open presents!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, Carlos, it’s...” Julie glances at her phone. “Five-thirty in the morning. Let us sleep!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke just groans, tugging a pillow over his face. Carlos grabs the pillow and starts hitting Luke with it until Julie confiscates it. Luke finally accepts that he won’t be getting any more sleep and says, “Okay, little dude, give us five minutes, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have two,” Carlos concedes, leaving the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sluggishly climbs out of bed, Luke pouting behind her. She puts on a pair of Luke’s sweatpants (rolled up several times at the waist) under the shirt (also Luke’s) that she’d slept in, then puts her giant dinosaur slippers on. She carefully unbraids her hair, knowing that Luke will want to play with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s just finished getting ready and Luke has just gotten out of bed when Carlos comes back. “Ugh, put a shirt on, dude,” He frowns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, our room, our wardrobe choices. You don’t like it, then stay out,” Julie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As karma for waking us up so early, I’m not gonna put a shirt on,” Luke tells Carlos, who frowns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I approve,” Julie announces with a lingering look at Luke’s abs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two are disgusting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all head down to the living room where the Christmas tree is set up. Carlos sets to work sorting the presents under the tree, making piles in front of Julie and Luke, a separate pile on the floor near him, and a final pile in front of Ray’s favorite armchair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray comes in, four mugs in his hands. He hands Luke a mug of coffee, black, and Julie hot chocolate, with marshmallows and a splash of coffee. Carlos gets hot chocolate, too, without the coffee, but it’s set on the coffee table for after presents. Ray sits down on his chair with his coffee and frowns. “Luke, where’s your shirt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m punishing Carlos for waking us up so early,” Luke explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray nods knowingly. “I held him off for as long as I could,” he informs them. “He woke me up at four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke winces. “I’m so sorry.” He pauses. “Do you want me to go get a shirt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray contemplates that. “No, Carlos needs to suffer for his actions. I’ll just… not look at you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke chuckles. “That works. Carlos, you dragged us down here to open presents, but you’re not opening any.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos snatches a present from his pile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That one’s from me,” Julie informs him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From you or from you and Luke?” Carlos asks knowingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pouts, pretending to be offended. “I got you a gift, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos’ eyes light up. “You know what, I guess Julie chose well.” He tugs the ribbon off the box in front of him, then tears into the wrapping paper. The scraps of bright paper go flying and Luke bats one away before it can hit Julie. “All right!” Carlos exclaims, holding up a video game he’d been raving about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open the blue one next,” Luke says. More paper goes flying, this time revealing a pair of night-vision goggles. “For your ghost-hunting,” Luke explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I forgive you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For what?” Luke asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For walking around shirtless and being all mushy with my sister.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Thanks?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos digs into his remaining presents, coming up with more video games and a new console.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great job, Papí. Julie, you’re up!” Carlos announces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie opens her presents much less aggressively than Carlos had. Ray, knowing that Julie liked getting gift cards so she could buy herself presents during the summer (her birthday was in early January and she always complained that she never got presents during the rest of the year), had gotten Julie gift cards to several clothing stores he knows she likes and one to a music store.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos had gotten Julie a stack of personalized sheet music and Luke received a fancy binder to keep it in. “For your next album,” he explains. “You’re going to be using it together anyway, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie gets up and gives him a hug, before going to the hall closet to grab her gift for Luke. She comes back carrying an old guitar case with a big red bow stuck on it. Luke raises an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, I already have a guitar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie rolls her eyes at Luke. “This one is special. Just look at it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She places the guitar case down on the coffee table and gestures to him to open it. When he does, his eyes tear up. “That’s- that’s the Julie guitar. Babe, no. I can’t accept this. It was your mom’s.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. She’d want you to have it, Luke. I know she would. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>want you to have it. She’d love you so much, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks over at Ray to make sure it’s okay with him. He nods, a sad smile on his face. “Rose would absolutely want you to have that guitar, mijo. She loved it because it reminded her of Julie and she loved Julie. You do, too, I can see it every time you look at her. It’s yours now, mijo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke moves back to the couch where Julie is seated and bodily picks her up, placing her on his lap. “I’ll give you your present in a minute. I just need to hold you for a bit first.” He presses a kiss to Julie’s hair. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray opens his presents from Julie, Luke, and Carlos while Luke calms down. Julie and Luke had gotten him a collection of magnets from every city they’d visited on their tour and he proudly sets them on display on the fridge. Carlos had gotten him a keychain that beeps when he presses a button on an app on his phone to put on his keys so that maybe he’d be able to find them more easily. Ray laughs at this. “Thank you, mijos.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Luke is ready to give Julie her present. He hands her a small, rectangular package, which is wrapped surprisingly neatly. “Alex wrapped it for me,” Luke explains, seeing his wife’s shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course he did.” Julie chuckles, removing the paper. She pulls out a cassette tape. It has Julie &lt;3 written across it in Sharpie. “Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I made you a mixtape. I recorded all the love songs I’ve written for you and put them on there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie kisses him softly. “That’s really sweet, Luke.” Then something occurs to her. “But how am I supposed to play this? I don’t have a cassette player.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That stumps him. “I didn’t think about that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray chuckles. “I think there might be an old Walkman somewhere around here. Your mother had one. It might be in the attic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They hunt down the Walkman, then realize they need batteries, which end up being taken from the TV remote. Finally, Julie plugs earbuds into it and gets Ray to show her how to work the device.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Papí.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray huffs. “I feel old.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos grins. “That’s because you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> old.” That launches a tickle fight, but Julie barely even notices because Luke’s voice is crooning in her ear. First is the first love song he’d ever played for her, way back when Carrie found out that they were married.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All of me loves all of you/ love your curves and all your edges/ all your perfect imperfections./ You give your all to me/ I give my all to you/ you’re my end and my beginning/ even when I lose I’m winning…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is crying by the time </span>
  <em>
    <span>All of Me</span>
  </em>
  <span> is over. The next track is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like I’m Gonna Lose You</span>
  </em>
  <span> and she squeezes Luke’s hand, reassuringly. He raises an eyebrow, so she hands him an earbud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not gonna lose me, mi alma.” He tucks her into his side, kissing her hair again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next track is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Never Seen Anything Quite Like You</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which is followed by </span>
  <em>
    <span>Boat Song</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Then there’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Can’t Help Falling In Love</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which turns into </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span> which turns into </span>
  <em>
    <span>Heartbeat</span>
  </em>
  <span> which turns into </span>
  <em>
    <span>A Thousand Years.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The music stops then, and Luke starts talking in her ear, a long list of things he loves about her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love the little scrunch of your nose when you’re happy. I love the smile in your voice when you’re trying not to laugh at Reggie. I love your hair and your eyes and literally every part of you. I love how you’re not afraid to call me on my bullshit but that you always have my back. I love singing with you and writing music with you. I love the way that I can calm you down like nobody else and that you can do the same for me. I love how supportive you are of our friends. I love how you actually think things through but will still impulse-drive to Vegas to marry me. I love the smug little smile on your face every time you call me your husband. I love every second of </span>
  <em>
    <span>being</span>
  </em>
  <span> your husband. I love you, Julie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is basically sobbing at this point and Luke looks nervous. “Are you okay? Was it stupid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie twists around in Luke’s lap, carefully setting aside the Walkman. She presses her lips to his and kisses him passionately. Ray gestures to Carlos to leave the room, giving them some privacy. After several minutes of intense kissing, Julie whispers against his lips, “This was perfect. I love you.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Happy Birthday, Julie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The band gathers in Julie’s mom’s studio the day before her birthday. Luke had asked everyone if they could do her party then because he was going to ask her if he could take her out for a fancy dinner to celebrate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke brings her out there under the guise of wanting to write and needing the piano, but when he pulls open the doors, everyone important to Julie jumps out, yelling “Surprise!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is embarrassed to admit that she screams like she’s being murdered. She turns to Luke, eyes wide. “Is this your fault?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it’s not your birthday until tomorrow!” He says quickly and defensively. “I asked everyone if we could celebrate today, though because I just… I wanted to take you out to celebrate tomorrow. A fancy dinner?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie contemplates that. “We’ve never actually done a dinner date,” she realizes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex facepalms. “Damnit, Luke. You’ve never taken her out to dinner?” He shakes his head. “One job, man. One job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie, however, looks impressed. “You got her to marry you without ever taking her out to dinner? Tell me your secrets.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Abs. His secret is abs,” Julie says bluntly. “And biceps.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie’s face falls. “Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray groans. “Mija, can you please not say things like that in front of me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Papí, but have you seen him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not my type, mija.” He pauses “Also, what’s the first rule of holes, Julie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re in too deep, stop digging…” Julie sighs. “Okay, I’ll shut up now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, keep talking, babe. I like hearing you compliment me.” Luke wiggles his eyebrows at his wife. He realizes then that Julie had never said yes to the date. “Oh, so are we on for dinner tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Sure, babe. Where are we going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a surprise. Just dress nicely and prepare for a great night.” At Julie’s sceptical look, he adds, “I asked your dad where to take you, don’t worry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s taking you to the restaurant I took your mama to for our anniversary the last time,” Ray informs Julie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes widen. “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nods. “Is that okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods vigorously. “That sounds amazing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we have cake now?” Carlos asks. “There’s too much mushiness happening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn chuckles. “Little man might be onto something. Cake is always a good idea.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tía Victoria lights the candles (they don’t trust Luke to do it) and they all sing happy birthday.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make a wish!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie contemplates Reggie’s enthusiastic suggestion for a moment then decides what her wish should be. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wish that I could be this happy all the time</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you wish for, babe?” Luke asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos frowns. “She can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell</span>
  </em>
  <span> you, Luke. Then it won’t come true!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone chuckles at him. They spend several hours chatting and laughing, playing some music, eating cake and just generally having a great time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina and Reggie take the opportunity of everyone being gathered to make an exciting announcement.</span>
</p><p><span>“So, guys, we have some exciting news!”</span><span><br/>
</span> <span>“You eloped to Vegas?” Luke guesses.</span></p><p>
  <span>“No, Luke, we’re not you. Alina’s switching to online classes and moving in with me!” Reggie’s grin lights up the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s birthday party turns into a combination birthday/celebration of Alina moving to LA party. Alina apologizes to Julie for that, but Julie waves her apology away, giving Alina a big hug. “I’m so happy for you, Alina, don’t apologize.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> <span>*</span> <span>*</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julie wakes up late the morning of her birthday snuggled up in her husband’s arms. His hand is running up and down her back and she smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s hand freezes for a moment when he realizes she’s awake, but then he keeps caressing her back. “Good morning, mon amour. Happy birthday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie shifts so that she can obtain her good morning kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she says when she pulls away. “Can we just stay in bed all day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’re definitely not skipping our dinner reservations…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You actually made reservations?” Julie’s heart feels bigger at that. Luke is not a planner, but he planned her birthday enough in advance to make reservations?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Today has to be perfect, boss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the sweetest, bestest husband in the entire world,” Julie decides. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s not so sure about that, but- “If I’m the sweetest, bestest husband in the entire world, you’re the sweetest, bestest wife in the universe.” He pauses. “And the most beautiful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is the whole ‘sweetest’ thing in action, mi alma.” Julie rolls her eyes. “I just woke up. My hair’s a mess and I’m not wearing any makeup.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke frowns. “That doesn’t matter!” He gets up, much to Julie’s displeasure, and grabs his guitar. “I’ve got another song for you. I wrote it after the last time you were upset about your hair.” Luke pauses, checking the tuning on his guitar, then starts singing. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, her eyes, her eyes/ Make the stars look like they're not shinin'/ Her hair, her hair/ Falls perfectly without her tryin'/ She's so beautiful and I tell her everyday/ Yeah, I know, I know/ When I compliment her, she won't believe me/ And it's so, it's so/ Sad to think that she don't see what I see/ But every time she asks me, "Do I look okay?"/ I say/ When I see your face/ There's not a thing that I would change/ 'Cause you're amazing/ Just the way you are/ And when you smile/ The whole world stops and stares for a while/ 'Cause girl, you're amazing/ Just the way you are…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s eyes fill with tears. “Luke…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “My point is that you look perfect all the time, babe. You don’t need to do your hair all fancy or wear makeup or whatever you think makes you look good. You’re beautiful every second of every day, whether you feel it or not." He frowns at his wife. “And I’m gonna tell you every day until you believe me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did I get lucky enough to be married to someone so amazing?” Julie asks. She takes the guitar from Luke and sets it on the floor, then tackles him into the mattress. She kisses him like it’s the last time she’ll ever get to do it, desperate and passionate and then Luke feels her tears land on his cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulls back. “Hey, mon amour, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? What did I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie starts crying harder. “I don’t deserve you and one day, you’re gonna realize that and then you’re gonna leave me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks horrified. “Julie, no! That’s never, ever going to happen. I asked you to marry me, remember? We drove to Vegas that same night because I was so desperate to be married to you that I couldn’t wait.” He presses a kiss to Julie’s forehead. “Mon amour, you are my world. I love you and I will never leave you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You promise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke can feel his eyes well with tears at the desperate hope in his wife’s voice. “I promise. Do you want to exchange rings again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods, locking eyes with him. They each pull their rings off and hand them to the other. “I promise to love you forever, mon amour. No take-backs.” He slips Julie’s rings back onto her finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise to love you forever, mi alma. No take-backs.” Julie puts Luke’s ring back on him, smiling through her tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to get married?” Luke asks Julie, then. Her tears stop, replaced by a look of absolute confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... We’re already married,” Julie points out the obvious. “We literally just exchanged rings again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I mean, like, in front of all our friends and family. A proper ceremony where your dad walks you down the aisle and Alex is my best man and Flynn is your maid of honor and you wear white and… and we have everything our Vegas wedding was missing.” Luke sighs. “The wedding we had was perfect because it was you that I married, but sometimes I feel like I cheated you out of a real wedding and all the experiences that go with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want to do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have to, obviously. Like you said, we’re already married. I just thought it might be nice to have, like, a vow renewal ceremony so that Flynn and Alina and Tía Victoria can take you dress shopping and we can get a wedding cake and look at venues and your dad can walk you down the aisle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke…” Luke gets super nervous then. It sounds like she’s about to say that it was a dumb idea and he really wants to have a real ceremony. “Honestly? That sounds amazing. I would love to marry you again. I’d do it a million times if I could. I don’t want you to do it just for me, though. You didn’t cheat me out of anything, mi alma. Our wedding was perfect even without all the frills.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I- I want to. I really want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then let’s do it!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray chooses then to knock on the door. “Is it safe to open the door?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Papí, you can open it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you guys going to get up at any point?” Ray asks, sticking his head in the room. Julie and Luke are sitting up in bed, thankfully mostly dressed. Luke isn’t wearing a shirt, but Ray, though he hates to admit it, is kind of used to that by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” Julie looks at Luke, who nods. “We have something to tell you, Papí.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray enters the room fully, moving to sit on the foot of the bed, a concerned frown on his face. “Is everything okay, mija? You look like you’ve been crying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, everything’s great. We just wanted to tell you that we’re getting married.” Julie grins brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... You’re already married.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we know. We, uh, we want to have a vow renewal ceremony where we actually invite people,” Luke explains. “We missed out on a lot of things that come with getting married when we eloped, so we thought we’d do it again, properly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which brings us to our request,” Julie adds. “Papí, will you walk me down the aisle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray is not ashamed to admit that he starts crying. “Mija, I’d be honored."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Song used is Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Date Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Getting ready to go on their dinner date is a quick process for Luke (he just has to throw on a pair of slacks and a nice shirt) but Julie takes longer to get ready. She carefully does her makeup, going for a subtly shimmery, gold eyeshadow and a soft pink lip gloss. Her wardrobe is thoroughly scoured for the perfect outfit. She ends up wearing a floaty, yellow dress that swirls nicely when she spins. She stands staring at the mirror, debating how she wants to do her hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I do your hair for you?” Luke asks, knocking on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking about straightening it and I don’t trust you to do that. You’ll burn either me or yourself, probably both.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke concedes the point. “How about I do those buns you like? The alien buns?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean space buns?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that what they’re called? Then, yeah. I practiced them on the doll.” Julie giggles at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give it a try and I’ll see how they look with the outfit.” Luke has Julie sit cross-legged on the bed, her back to him. He carefully spritzes her hair with water then combs out any tangles. Carefully, he divides her hair along the center part, pulling aside half of it, which he tosses out of the way over her shoulder. He twists the hair into the bun, then has Julie hand him the bobby pins needed to execute the look one at a time. He repeats the process on the other side, then has her shake her head vigorously to make sure they don’t come out. Satisfied, he helps her off the bed and leads her over to the mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grins. “Luke, these look great! I’m so impressed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gonna keep them in?” Luke asks hopefully. Julie nods. “Then are you ready to go? We need to leave soon if we’re going to make it on time for our reservation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie grabs her strappy gold gladiator sandals and tugs them on. She struggles with the zipper, so Luke gets down on the floor and helps her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, babe.” She stands up and twirls in front of him. “What do you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look incredible, mon amour. Beautiful as always.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie smiles, kissing him softly. Pulling back, she chuckles. “I got lip gloss on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke isn’t bothered by that, but allows Julie to wipe it off with a tissue. She then reapplies the gloss to her own lips, before tucking it into Luke’s pocket. Luke raises an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I plan on kissing you a lot and I’m not bringing a purse,” Julie explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke holds up his hands defensively. “If carrying your lip gloss means I get kisses, then I’m all for that plan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They head down the stairs, where Ray is waiting with his car keys. He snaps a couple of photos, then hands Luke the keys. “Okay, kids, have a good date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They climb into the car and Luke starts driving once Julie has put on their love songs playlist. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jukebox &lt;3: Our Love</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It includes every love song Luke has written Julie, all the ones Julie has written Luke, and the ones they’ve written together. It’s the soundtrack to every date, every snuggle session, every time they just need to feel close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke starts singing along to the song. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Drowning </span>
  </em>
  <span>is the first song that comes up and Julie sings along with him when it’s her parts. About five songs later, they arrive at the restaurant. Luke hands the keys to the valet and they enter. Julie’s eyes widen at the sight of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, this place looks amazing!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so glad you like it.” He walks up to the host’s stand, hand tangled in Julie’s. “Reservation for Patterson?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hostess leads them over to one of the little curtained off tables. The space is lit by candles and they can close the curtains to make their own little bubble. Luke pulls Julie’s chair out for her, then takes his seat across the small table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their waitress comes up, then, moments after the hostess leaves. “Hi, guys. My name is Bianca and I’ll be your server today. Are we celebrating anything special today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my wife’s birthday,” Luke informs her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, happy birthday! We’re so glad you chose to celebrate here with us. Can I get you guys started with any drinks?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sprite, babe?” Luke asks. Julie smiles at her husband, nodding. He knows her so well. “Two Sprites, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good. Would you like any appetizers to start with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie and Luke peruse the menu, eventually deciding to get a cheese plate. Bianca hurries off to put that order in, and by the time she’s back, they’ve decided on entrees. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have the steak frites,” Julie tells her. “Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bites his lip. “Is it bad if I get the same thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie giggles. “No, get whatever you want, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So two steak frites?” Bianca clarifies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, please,” Luke says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good, I’ll get that order in right away, and I’ll be back to check on you guys in a bit. Do you want me to close the curtains?” She receives two enthusiastic nods, and chuckles. “Okay, then. I hope you enjoy your appetizer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke smiles once he’s alone with his wife. “Isn’t this place beautiful?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You picked well,” Julie agrees. Then she recalls what her dad had said. “Well, I guess Papí picked well, but you picked a good person to ask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thank my lucky stars every day for bringing me you,” Luke murmurs. “I wanted to do something to show you just how much you mean to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, you show me everyday with everything you do. You learned to do hair for me, you write me love songs, you hold me when I’m upset, you calm me down when I’m anxious… You don’t have to take me out for a fancy dinner to show me what I mean to you. You just have to be you, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what if I want to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I’ll be glad to go out with you.” Julie sighs. “But I’d be just as happy getting, like, Chinese take-out and eating it in our snuggle space together as I am with this fancy place. I just want to be with you, Luke. Our dates don’t have to be big, expensive, extravagant events.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re still having a good time, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely. I’m having a great time, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bianca comes back and says, “Knock, knock!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can come in,” Julie calls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The curtains open, revealing a tray with their entrees on a stand next to their server. “I’ve got your entrees here.” She sets a plate down in front of each of them. “Do you guys want a refill on your sodas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we’re good,” Luke says. Bianca leaves them to enjoy their food, shutting the curtain again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They eat slowly, occasionally nudging each others’ feet with their own. The conversation is light and sweet, only interrupted when they finish eating and order dessert. Julie smiles when Luke orders them cake. They feed each other their cake and, before they leave, Julie suggests that they exchange rings again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Luke wants to make sure because normally they only do that when someone’s upset or needs reassurance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. Perfect, actually. I want to exchange rings because I’m so happy and I love putting my ring on your finger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grins at that, taking his ring off. Julie hands him hers and Luke slips it back onto her finger. Julie slides Luke’s back onto his hand, too. “That is the best feeling,” Luke agrees.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Planning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Julie tells Tía Victoria that she and Luke are going to have another wedding, Victoria starts rambling about plans. “I had all these ideas for when you would get married, but then you had to go and elope, but now you’re having another wedding so I can actually help you plan!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Julie and Luke go over to the apartment Reggie, Alina, Alex, and Willie live in to tell them that she and Luke are getting married, Reggie calls dibs on being Luke’s best man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Reg, but I gotta go with Alex,” Luke says apologetically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Why?” Reggie looks offended, so Luke is quick to explain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When Julie and I eloped, we were supposed to go to prom, remember?” Reggie nods. “Alex loaned me his car to drive her on the condition that when we got married, he’d be our best man. I legitimately think he might kill me if I have a second wedding and don’t make him my best man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex nods. “I probably would,” he agrees. Reggie has to concede because he doesn’t want to make Julie a widow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While this conversation is happening, Julie asks Alina if she’d like to come shopping for a wedding dress. Alina is genuinely thrilled and so Julie creates a group chat on her phone for Alina, Flynn, Tía Victoria, and herself to plan and chat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pouts about not being included in the group chat about his own wedding, so Julie kisses his cheek and says, “Don’t you want to be surprised when you see my dress?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does that have to do with anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to be texting pictures. Dresses Julie tries on, pictures from Pinterest, hair ideas, makeup ideas, basically anything and everything related to Julie’s look. Do you really want to be spammed with that?” Alina tries to explain to Luke exactly why he doesn’t get to be in the group chat. Luke still looks confused, though, so Julie tries again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, look, mi alma, it’s like… remember how when we were on tour Reggie was so excited to see that movie in theaters but we didn’t have time for like a month because of the shows and traveling and stuff? Remember how he stayed off of all social media the whole time so that nothing would be spoiled for him?” Comprehension dawns in Luke’s eyes. “Exactly. We’re choosing to shut you out of the spoilers group chat so that no one ruins the surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” Luke kisses Julie. “You know exactly what to say and do to make things perfect for me. I can’t wait to see your dress, but you’re right. I don’t want to see it until you’re walking down the aisle to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so when, exactly is your wedding?” Alex asks, suddenly realizing that no one has mentioned that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking we’d get married on our anniversary?” Julie suggests, looking at Luke to see if he has any objections.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like that.” Luke turns to Alex. “We’re getting married on May 16th.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie rolls her eyes at her husband. “We’re getting married May 17th,” she corrects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, we got married on the 16th.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We </span>
  <em>
    <span>started </span>
  </em>
  <span>getting married on the 16th. The officiant didn’t pronounce us husband and wife until the 17th. We got married on the 17th.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are- do- is this a fight?” Alina asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them fight before,” Reggie stage-whispers to Alex.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not fighting,” Julie and Luke say at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a running debate. I’m right-” Julie clarifies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m right,” Luke interjects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-But neither of us is actually that upset about not agreeing because we agree that what matters is that we got married to each other,” Julie finishes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” Luke agrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex sighs. “So, then I repeat. When, exactly, is your wedding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pulls out his phone, looking at his calendar. “The 17th is a Monday. We should get married on the 16th.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I agree to this, do I lose the debate permanently?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Luke says with a wink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “I’m only agreeing because I want to get married to you again. This is not a concession. I still maintain that our anniversary is the 17th.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your relationship is deeply confusing to me,” Alex informs them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina interrupts them then. “Flynn is coming over and we’re gonna start looking at dresses online.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we supposed to do?” Reggie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, everyone but Luke is welcome to join us,” Julie says slowly. “As long as you promise not to show him anything or spoil anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex jumps up. “Yes! I want to help!” He sticks out his pinky and pinky-promises Julie that he’ll keep the dress search confidential.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Willie rolls his eyes at his boyfriend. “That sounds like an utterly miserable way to spend the day. I’ll keep Luke company. Have fun, though, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reg?” Luke asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie looks between Luke and the girls. “I… I’m gonna stay out here, too. I don’t want to risk getting any spoilers for Alina’s dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina’s eyes widen. “My dress? Are we getting married?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- maybe? Eventually? I love you, sweetheart. I don’t know if we’re gonna get married someday, but, I mean, just in case, I’m gonna stay out here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Okay?’ What does okay mean? Am I in trouble?” Reggie looks concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, hun, you’re fine. I don’t know if we’ll get married, either, but if you don’t want to be there while I’m helping Julie look at dresses, that’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn buzzes the apartment’s intercom, so Alina hits the button to let her up. When she knocks, Reggie, who’s closest to the door, lets her in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn enters, holding her laptop and tablet. “Okay, so I think we need to set up a Pinterest board to keep track of everything.” She notices Luke then. “Luke, get out of here. You can’t be here while we’re looking at dresses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks confused, but Willie and Reggie just guide him out the door. “Let’s go get some drinks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alina and Alex grab their laptops and take seats next to Julie and Flynn. Flynn passes Julie her tablet. “Your phone screen is too small, Jules. Use this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie logs into her Pinterest on the app on Flynn’s iPad. She creates a new board titled The Dress and shares it with Flynn, Alina, Alex, and Tía Victoria, then makes sure it’s set to private so that no one can find it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so talk to us,” Alina says. “What are you thinking you might want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn looks at Julie and laughs. “Still want that princess dress?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I decided that I wanted a ‘sparkly, princess ball gown wedding dress’ when I was five. There’s probably no changing my mind at this point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four spent the next hour looking at dresses and pinning things Julie likes to the Pinterest board. Flynn also takes it upon herself to make several appointments at various bridal shops in the area for the coming week, so by the time Luke gets back with Willie and Reggie, they’re as ready as they can get.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Dress Shopping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Alex had elected to pick up Julie for dress shopping because it had been decided that Luke was not allowed to even see the outside of the dress shops and Ray needed to use his car that day. Julie absolutely refused to borrow Luke’s motorcycle- she wouldn’t even let him teach her how to drive it with him on the back, much less drive it herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Alex (and Alina) arrive in his car, Julie climbs into the backseat, leaving Luke pouting in the driveway. They drive to the first boutique, where Flynn and Tía Victoria are waiting. Julie is so excited that she’s bouncing as they head into the boutique.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, we have an appointment for Julie Patterson?” Julie says to the person at the front desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome! You’ve been assigned Ruth as your stylist. Just wait one moment while I go get- oh, never mind, here she is. Ruth, this is the Julie Patterson party.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, guys. Which one of you is Julie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie raises her hand. “That’d be me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And who do you have with you today?” Ruth notices Alex. “Is this your fiance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie and Alex look horrified and, honestly, somewhat ill. “No, god no. This is Alex, my husband Luke’s best man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruth’s brow furrows. “Wait, you’re already married? Then why do you need a wedding dress?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. They start walking over to the little mirror-lined stage where Julie will show off the dresses she tries on as she explains. “Um, Luke and I ditched my senior prom to drive to Vegas and get married. We’ve gotten a lot of crap about that so we decided to do it properly and have an actual wedding, with, like, other people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then. So, you’re our bride, we’ve got the best man, and…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Flynn, my maid of honor. And that’s Alina, my bridesmaid, and my Tía Victoria.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, I’m your bridesmaid?” Alina asks, touched. “I thought you just wanted another opinion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, of course you’re my bridesmaid. Who else would I pick? Reggie?” They settle onto the couch in front of the stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone bursts out laughing at that, except for Ruth who doesn’t know who Reggie is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, thanks, Julie.” Alina’s smile is bright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, now that everyone’s been introduced, how about we start talking about the dress?” Ruth suggests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan,” Julie agrees. “I’ve always wanted, like, a princess dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can definitely do that. Any thoughts on the neckline? Sleeves?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking I don’t want it to be strapless, but I don’t want long sleeves. Maybe, like, an off-the-shoulder sleeve?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got a few dresses like that. Do you have anything else you want in your dress before I go pull a few?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sparkles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn laughs. “We’re basically shopping for the dress Julie decided she wanted when she was five.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Five-year-old me knew what she was talking about!” Julie protests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I think I have the perfect dress for you,” Ruth muses. “I’m going to go grab it and a few other options for you. If none of them are right, we can keep looking. There’s no rush, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not getting married until the middle of May.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, you’re already married,” Alina points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what I mean!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’ll follow me, Julie, I’ll show you to a dressing room. Everyone else, sit tight, we’ll be out to show you some dresses soon.” Julie follows Ruth to the fitting room, where she waits while Ruth gathers four dresses that meet Julie’s criteria. When she gets back, she hangs the dresses on the hooks on the wall. “Okay, so this is the one that I think will fulfill five-year-old Julie’s wildest dreams.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dress in question has a full, princess-style skirt, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and is basically covered in sparkles. Julie’s eyes widen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa. That’s beautiful, but isn’t it, like, a little much? I mean, I’m already married.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So? Just because you’ve already gotten married doesn’t mean that your do-over wedding can’t be as much as you want. It’s a do-over because the wedding you had wasn’t much, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs. “I’ll try it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruth helps Julie get into the dress and zips it up her back. The fit is practically perfect and Julie feels like a princess in it. She looks in the mirror in the dressing room and gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beautiful, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This dress is amazing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look incredible, Julie. Do you want to go show your friends?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods, eyes watery. She follows Ruth back to the couch where Alex, Alina, Flynn, and Victoria are waiting. She carefully lifts the hem of her dress so she doesn’t trip when she steps up onto the little stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Victoria is already crying. “Sobrina, you look just like your mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flynn is grinning. “Five-year-old Julie would be thrilled with that dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like a princess, Jules,” Alina says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so speaking as Luke’s representative, he’s going to lose his mind if you get that dress. He’s always talking about how you’re a star, Jules, and in that dress, you look more like a star than anyone I’ve ever seen.” Alex discretely wipes away a tear. “That’s your dress, Julie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the first one I’ve tried on!” Julie protests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an idea, sobrina,” Tía Victoria says, digging through her purse. She pulls out a velvet box, opening it to reveal a tiara, bedecked in crystal flowers. Julie gasps, hand covering her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it’s your mother’s tiara from her quinceanera. I thought it could be your ‘something old’ and ‘something borrowed?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Flynn is crying, Alex’s single tear has turned into a flood, and Alina’s eyes water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I try it on?” Julie asks. Victoria’s response is to stand up and set the tiara carefully in Julie’s hair. Julie turns to look at herself in the mirror and then she’s crying, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this the dress?” Ruth questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie looks at each member of her family, then back at the mirror. “I feel like I should try on other dresses because this is the first one, but I love it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Luke passes out when he sees you in that,” Alex points out. “And I’ve known him since kindergarten, which I think makes me an expert. If you love it and Luke would love it, then who cares that it’s the first one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you like any of the other dresses I brought you?” Ruth asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie frowns. “Not like I like this one.” She sighs. “I’m gonna try on another dress, just to be sure, but I think this might be the dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie hands Victoria the tiara back, then goes with Ruth to put on another dress. She picks the best of the remaining three dresses in the dressing room, but even before it’s on, she knows. The first dress is </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> dress. They go back out to show the others, but before they even say anything, it’s obvious from their faces. This dress doesn’t compare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Luke would think you look great in that dress, but…” Alex trails off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not right, is it?” Julie sighs. “I guess I’m getting the first dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone grins. “This dress is beautiful, but the first dress was something special,” Victoria agrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t need any altering,” Flynn points out. “That’s a sign, Jules.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. The Wedding (Again)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke had convinced Julie that they should rent a private island for their wedding. His argument combined showing her pictures of the island, pointing out that their album had done so well that they could afford it easily, and explaining that the island in question had a separate, mini private island that they could honeymoon on. His final bargaining chip was promising to not wear a shirt the entire time they were on their honeymoon island. (That was the clincher).</p><p>They’d rented the entire island and flown Ray, Carlos, Tía Victoria, the band, and their significant others out to Vomo Island in Fiji the day before the wedding. Julie had insisted that, since their family was going to vacation on the main part of Vomo Island while they were on their honeymoon, they should have some time after the honeymoon to be with everyone before flying back to LA. The whole trip was going to be two weeks: wedding, splitting for the honeymoon, then rejoining on the main resort for the last week.</p><p>One of Ray’s colleagues had been invited, as well, to take pictures. Julie had initially asked her father to do it, but Ray was insistent that he not. He wanted to get to pay complete attention to watching his kids get married. He’d missed it the first time, he explained, and he didn’t want to miss even a moment of the second time. </p><p>Ray’s colleague, a woman named Echo, had actually been Julie’s babysitter when Julie was a kid. Echo was twenty-nine, had bright purple hair, and was thrilled to fly out to Fiji to take pictures for Julie’s wedding, having actually gotten into photography while babysitting for Ray. She’d insisted that they not pay her, saying that the free vacation was more than enough compensation. She also pointed out that being the photographer for the wedding of a celebrity couple (something Julie and Luke kept forgetting they were) would be great for her business.</p><p>So it was that Julie, Luke, and their wedding entourage arrived at a private island the day before the wedding. They immediately split up, Julie and Luke going to meet with the staff to make sure everything is on track for the ceremony the next day, and everyone else going to settle into their villas. They’re pleased to see that the wooden platform by the beach has the five chairs for the guests already set up, a cleared area blocked off for the wedding party. The cake is ready and looks perfect, the chefs reassure them that the wedding dinner is going to be exactly what they wanted, and Julie and Luke retire to their villa confident that their day is going to be perfect.</p><p>They’d been told by their family that they should have separate villas for the night before their wedding (because it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding), but the couple had insisted that, since they were already married, they were <em> not </em> spending the night apart.</p><p>“I sleep better in Luke’s arms,” Julie had pointed out and that settled the matter.</p><p> </p><p>* * *</p><p> </p><p>The morning of the ceremony, Julie and Luke are allowed to sleep in and lounge in bed until early afternoon, at which point, Flynn, Alina, Tía Victoria, and Echo (who had attended cosmetology school so that she could do the makeup and hair for her shoots and had agreed to do so for the bridal party) bang on the door.</p><p>“Get up, sleepyheads!” Flynn shouts. </p><p>Luke opens the door, clad in only pajama pants, hair still rumpled from both sleep and Julie’s fingers. Flynn immediately hides the gown (in its protective, not at all transparent bag) behind her back, an action that really serves no purpose.</p><p>“Whoa.” Echo looks startled. “Hella abs. Little Jules did well.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Luke says with a chuckle. “She’s in the shower. I’m going to go find the guys.”</p><p>“You gonna put a shirt on?” Alina asks.</p><p>“Nah, I’m gonna be in a tux soon enough. The guys can deal.” Luke slides on a pair of flip flops and heads out the door, planning to meet Alex, Reggie, Willie, and possibly Ray and Carlos at the villa Alex and Willie are sharing.</p><p>Tía Victoria huffs. “His father-in-law won’t like that.”</p><p>They all convene in the living room to wait for Julie to finish showering. The wedding dress is hung up on its hanger, still in its protective bag, which is hooked over the bedroom door. Once the shower cuts off, Flynn yells to Julie that they’re in the living room.</p><p>Julie comes out, hair up in a microfiber towel turban, another towel tucked around her body. “Hey, guys. Let me get dressed and then we can get started, okay?”</p><p>“Whatever you put on, make sure you’re either keeping it on until after the wedding or that you can get it back off without pulling it over your head,” Echo cautions. “We’re doing your hair and makeup before you get your dress on and I’m not letting you mess it up. Oh, also, put on the lingerie that you’re wearing with the dress on now.”</p><p>Julie laughs, saluting Echo. She steps back into the bedroom and they hear some shuffling around before Julie comes back out, a zipped-up hoodie that, based on the fit and distinct lack of sleeves, clearly belongs to Luke and leggings the outfit of choice. The towel turban is still in place.</p><p>“Ready,” Julie says with a grin.</p><p>“Okay, so, you still want the hairstyle you showed me, right?” Echo confirms. “We’re starting with hair.”</p><p>“Yup. Tía Victoria, where is Mama’s tiara?”</p><p>Victoria hands Julie the box. “In here, sobrina.”</p><p>Echo instructs Julie to sit on a chair dragged into the living room from the kitchen. The turban is removed and Echo picks at random strands of Julie’s hair. “Your hair is so pretty, Little Jules.”</p><p>“Thanks, Echo.” Julie sits there patiently as her hair is twisted, pinned, and artfully arranged into an intentionally messy but still clearly styled bun.</p><p>“Can I get the tiara now?”</p><p>Julie hands Echo the item in question and it gets carefully settled into the bun. A few locks of hair are repinned into a better position around the tiara and then Echo steps back, satisfied.</p><p>“Can I see?” Julie asks.</p><p>“No, you’re gonna see when your makeup is done and your dress is on.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“If you don’t like it, I’ll redo something, but I want you to get the full effect.”</p><p>Julie sighs. She’d learned long ago, back when Echo was her babysitter, that arguing with the other girl was a futile endeavor. “Fine…”</p><p>“Good! Now, smoky eye? Coral lip? Or did you change your mind?”</p><p>“No, that’s good.”</p><p>Echo pulls out a massive makeup kit. Julie gapes at it. “Do you really need all that?”</p><p>“No, but if you had changed your mind, we’re on a private island in the middle of the ocean. Where would you expect me to go to get other colors?” Julie concedes the point.</p><p>Julie is still as Echo prods her face, brushing this powder and that cream to create the desired look. She closes her eyes when instructed, puckers her lips, closes them around a blotting paper, and otherwise cooperates, a dreamy look in her eyes. Echo finishes with a setting spray that <em> should </em> keep the makeup intact when- not if- Julie starts crying.</p><p>“She’s daydreaming about Luke, isn’t she?” Echo asks no one in particular. She rolls her eyes. “Julie!” Echo snaps her fingers in Julie’s face. “You’re done!”</p><p>“Dress?” Julie asks. Everyone nods, excited. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get herself into her dress herself, she removes the hoodie and leggings right there in the living room.</p><p>The girls, excluding Victoria, whistle at the sight of the provocative lingerie Julie is wearing. “Trying to seduce your husband?” Flynn asks, wiggling her eyebrows.</p><p>Tía Victoria, on the other hand, frowns. “Sobrina…”</p><p>“Tía, I’m married. Also, it’s my wedding day. If I want to wear something sexy for my husband, that’s my decision.” Julie pauses, then turns to Flynn, hands on her hips. “And, Flynn, if I were trying to seduce Luke, do you really think I’d have to try this hard?”</p><p>Flynn laughs. “You have a good point.”</p><p>“He looks at you like you’re the whole world,” Alina says longingly.</p><p>“Kind of like how Reggie looks at you?” Julie retorts, then adds, “Can we discuss this when I’m not standing here mostly naked?”</p><p>Flynn jumps up, grabbing the dress bag. She carefully unzips it, making sure to avoid catching the fabric with the zipper. The black garment bag is discarded on the floor and Echo, the only one who hadn’t seen the dress yet, gasps. “That’s a hell of a dress, Little Jules.”</p><p>“Yeah…” Julie smiles happily. Flynn arranges the dress so that Julie can step into it. The bodice is gently brought up over Julie’s body. Julie nimbly slips her arms into the sleeves and the dress settles into place. Flynn pulls the zipper shut, stepping back to admire her best friend.</p><p>“You look like a princess, Julie,” she says. Alina retrieves the shoebox with Julie’s heels and lets Julie brace herself on her arm as she steps into the shoes.</p><p>Once Julie is steady in her heels (electric blue peep toe stilettos with a bow on the ankle strap- her something blue), she gets permission to go look at herself. She goes into the bathroom attached to the bedroom, where there is a full length mirror. She turns to face it and gasps. “Oh, my god.”</p><p>Her eyes tear up. “Hey, don’t cry!” Echo snaps. “We don’t want to test the setting spray this soon!” Her face softens, then. “Mr. Abs is going to have a heart attack, though. You look amazing, Little Jules.” She contemplates that. “I guess you’re not so little anymore, huh?”</p><p>“Thanks, Echo. I look exactly like I wanted to,” Julie says, carefully hugging the older girl while trying not to mess up her hair and makeup or wrinkle her dress.</p><p>“Then I’ve done my job.” Echo then sets to work on Flynn, as Maid of Honor, then Alina, Victoria, and finally, herself. She’s not part of the wedding, but she still wants to look great.</p><p>By the time everyone is dressed and made up, the sun is starting to set and Ray is knocking on the door to retrieve Julie.</p><p>His eyes widen when he sees his daughter all dolled up for her wedding. Echo snaps a picture of his expression of awe. “Mija, you look… I have no words.”</p><p>“That good?”</p><p>“Luke says you’re a star. Right now, I think he might be speaking literally.” Ray cautiously hugs Julie, taking care to avoid messing up her look. When he releases her, he notices her hair accessory. “Is that…” He gestures to her hair.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s Mama’s. So that she could be here with me.” That’s what breaks Ray and he starts crying.</p><p>“She’s watching you today and I know she couldn’t be happier for you.” Julie sniffles at her dad’s words, gently dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.</p><p>“Did I mess up my makeup?” She asks, turning to Echo, who scrutinizes her.</p><p>“No, you’re good.” Echo sighs. “But you better get out there before you do. You don’t want it ruined before Mr. Abs sees you, do you?”</p><p>Ray winces at Echo’s name for Luke. “Okay, mija. You’ve got your somethings?”</p><p>Julie nods. “The tiara is my something old and something borrowed.” She lifts the hem of her skirt, revealing her shoes. “These are the something blue, and the dress is the something new.”</p><p>“Then let’s go find your man.” </p><p>Echo hurries out ahead of them, going to where Ray had set up her camera for her. Victoria joins Willie in the seats for the guests. Ray and Julie wait out of sight of Luke as Reggie, as flower girl, walks down the aisle in his electric blue suit (chosen to match Julie’s heels), sprinkling guitar picks instead of flower petals, then takes his seat. Alina walks down the aisle next, taking her seat next to Reggie, then Flynn walks down the aisle, standing off to the side. </p><p>Finally, the DJ from the resort staff switches the music. Luke and Julie had chosen to have a recording of <em> Perfect Harmony </em> instead of the traditional wedding march. When Luke hears the opening notes of their song, his head snaps in the direction he knows Julie is coming from. Julie can tell the exact moment Luke first catches sight of her because his jaw drops and his eyes widen.</p><p>She wants to hurry down the aisle, but she lets Ray keep her at the slow, steady pace they’d already established. She giggles when Alex steps up next to Luke and, with a finger under his chin, shuts her husband’s mouth for him. She starts full-on laughing when, once the finger is removed, Luke’s mouth falls open again. </p><p>“Dude,” Alex hisses. “Shut your mouth.” </p><p>Luke finally seems to regain control of his body, closing his mouth. “Julie…” he whispers. Julie and Ray finally reach the front and Ray passes his daughter off to Luke, who is already teary. “You look… I- you’re so beautiful, mon amour.”</p><p>Julie blushes. “Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself,” she says.</p><p>The officiant, an employee of the resort, clears his throat. “We are gathered here today, on the one-year anniversary of their wedding, to celebrate the bond between Julie and Luke. Julie and Luke, although I am officiating here today, it is not truly in my power to sanctify or bless your relationship in any way, because the two of you have already done that in your hearts. Today you proclaim your love anew to the world, and we rejoice with and for you. I understand that you have both written new vows?” They nod, Julie crying softly. “Wonderful. Luke, if you will?”</p><p>Luke clears his throat. “Julie, boss, mon amour… When we got married the first time, it was impulsive and rushed. Today, we stand here on this beautiful island, surrounded by our family, and I couldn’t be happier to be your husband.” He chokes on a sob. “I vow to love you and support you, to help you out of your panic attacks, and to make music with you forever. I vow to be your biggest fan, even if we have a billion fans. You’re my Jules and I couldn’t be happier to be your Luke.”</p><p>Alex sniffles, subtly wiping away a tear, as the officiant instructs Julie to recite her vows.</p><p>“Luke, mi alma, our first wedding was wonderful because it was you that I married. This wedding, though, where Papí walked me down the aisle and our family actually got to be here, is perfect. I vow to love you forever, support you, help you push past the insecurities that haunt you, and to duet with you in life and on stage. I’m your biggest fan and, as you said, it doesn’t matter how many we have, I always win. You’re my husband and I couldn’t be happier to be your wife.”</p><p>“Now, when you first got married, you exchanged rings as symbols of your commitment to each other. You have new ones to exchange today, correct?”</p><p>Carlos, in a suit that matches Reggie, runs up, rings in hand. He and Reggie had played Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who got to be ring bearer and who got to be the flower girl. He hands Luke Julie’s ring first, and manages to avoid making a comment about how sappy this is as Luke slides the old wedding band off of Julie’s finger and replaces it with the new band. He kisses her knuckles, then releases her hand. Julie holds out her hand to Carlos, not looking away from Luke’s eyes. She swaps out Luke’s rings, then accepts the chain from Carlos. She slips both of the old rings onto the necklace, handing it to Luke. She turns around so that Luke can clasp it around her neck, then spins to face her husband. Their hands join again, squeezing tightly.</p><p>The officiant smiles at them. “You have now renewed your vows of marriage. I pronounce you, again, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”</p><p>Luke dips Julie, kissing her passionately. They distantly hear Reggie and Flynn whistling, someone clapping, and then Ray clearing his throat. They break apart, then, and walk back down the aisle, hand in hand.</p><p>Everyone gathers in the restaurant on the island for the reception. They have a delicious dinner, then Alex stands to give his speech.</p><p>“Okay, so, as Luke’s best man, I feel obligated to point out, though you all know this, that Luke proposed by accident. He slipped up by saying something about when they got married, and panicked. Then they drove to Vegas, <em> in my car </em> , and got married when they were supposed to be going to prom. They then had the <em> brilliant </em> idea to try and hide that they’d gotten married, something which lasted less than a day. Somehow, despite the mess that was their wedding, they have come out stronger and more in love than ever. Julie and Luke are part of a Grammy-winning band and are the kind of couple that is so perfect that you don’t think they’re real. To Julie and Luke, and the kind of love that we all aspire to have!”</p><p>Everyone present raises their glasses in a toast.</p><p>Flynn is next with her maid of honor speech. “I feel obligated to point out that I am still a little bit mad that I wasn’t invited the first time you got married. As Julie’s maid of honor, I have had a front-row seat through her whole relationship with Luke, as well as being part of her life for… basically all of it, and I can honestly say that I’ve never seen her happier than she is with Luke. I thought they were crazy when I figured out that they got married, but I concede: it was a good thing, even if the execution of it was flawed. You two are literal couple goals and I’m so happy for you. To Julie and Luke!”</p><p>Everyone toasts again. They move to the clear area to watch as Julie and Luke share their dance. They chose <em> All of Me </em> for their ‘first’ dance as a married couple. Luke, to everyone’s shock, is actually a good dancer, and as he spins Julie, her dress flying around her, even the resort staff who don’t know them can see that, like their song, they are in perfect harmony. It’s Alina who notices that Luke is singing along softly to his own lyrics and she is quick to share that information.</p><p>Ray and Julie share a father-daughter dance next, while Luke dances with Tía Victoria. She isn’t Julie’s mom and doesn’t pretend to be, but is happy to stand in for her sister on such a special night. Julie dances with Alex, Reggie, Willie, and finally Carlos, before being returned to Luke. They bid everyone goodbye, loading into the boat that will take them to Vomo Lailai, the honeymoon island.</p><p>
  <a href="https://knitsessed.tumblr.com/post/642386030847279104/julies-wedding-look-from-chapter-38-of-some">Julie's Dress, Hair, and Tiara</a>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. The Honeymoon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>True to his word, from the time he takes off his tux to the time they return to the main island, Luke remains shirtless. That first night, after Julie’s dress is carefully hung up in the closet and Luke has lost his mind over how incredible Julie looks in her lingerie, they make slow, gentle love in the massive bed. They stay up until dawn that night, snuggled together under the covers, talking about everything and nothing. As the sun slowly drifts over the horizon, Julie closes her eyes, pressing a kiss against Luke’s chest over his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tired, mon amour?” Luke asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Julie hums.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sleep, then, love.” He sings softly, songs he’s written for her, stopping only once he’s sure she’s asleep. Then, and only then, does he allow himself to drift off as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Julie wakes up, she is surprised by her lack of disorientation. She hadn’t paid attention to the room or the house when they arrived, and would have anticipated being confused about where she is, but, she realizes, in her husband’s arms, his heart beating under her cheek, she is home. It doesn’t matter where she is, whether she recognizes it or not, so long as she has Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She lays there, comfortable and warm, an overwhelming feeling of contentment and love bringing tears to her eyes. She doesn’t realize she’s crying until Luke wakes with a start and begins freaking out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, are you okay? What’s wrong?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, mi alma. I’m just so happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These are happy tears?” Luke confirms. When Julie nods, her cheek rubbing against his chest, he smiles. “I’m happy, too, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke sits up suddenly, careful to bring Julie up with him so that she doesn’t fall. “Mi alma?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a song.” He grabs his guitar (because he’d refused to go on his honeymoon without it) and a notebook and pen. The latter two items he hands to Julie and starts strumming. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I see us in black and white/crystal clear on a starlit night./In all your gorgeous colors/I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life/See you standing in your dress/Swear in front of all our friends/There'll never be another/I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p><span>Julie writes down the lyrics Luke sings as he sings them, her handwriting messy with the speed she’s writing at. He basically spits out a song, fully written and perfect. The slight changes they make are subtle and as Luke sings the final version, Julie smiles through her tears.</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Mi alma, that was perfect.” She shakes her head, clearing it, then presses the notebook and pen into Luke’s hands. “That’s got… I have something… ‘</span><em><span>A summer rain is passing over/And it feels like a dream/I could run and look for shelter/But you hold onto me/I'm under your skies/I'm caught in your eyes/Don't you know you stop the room/And all that I can see is you/I'm standing where the lightning strikes/I know this doesn't happen twice/You must be my once in a lifetime, in a lifetime/You must be my once in a lifetime…</span></em><span>’”</span></p><p>
  <span>Once the lyrics are written down, Luke asks Julie to sing it again while he plays a guitar accompaniment. She smiles, clapping when they finish. “You like that, babe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “That was perfect, Luke.” She takes the guitar from his hands and drags him out of bed. “Let’s go swimming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke shakes his head, laughing at the abrupt change of subject, but goes along with it, pulling on a pair of swimming trunks. He ogles Julie in her little bikini, wondering to himself, not for the first time, how he got so lucky. His guitar comes out to the porch, set down on the wall on the deck of the villa with their phones. Then he’s letting Julie pull him into the water. They splash each other, laughing. When Luke dunks Julie, she glares at him and he gets worried that she’s legitimately mad at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she realizes this, her frown disappears in a flash. “Luke, mi alma, it would take a lot more than dunking me in the ocean to make me genuinely mad at you.” She sighs. “I’m not saying it's not possible, but you’d know if you were doing something that would actually make me mad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?” He asks, suddenly curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie tilts her head, contemplating this. “Um… well, the only thing I can think of right now is if I caught you with someone else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke mouths the last three words before realizing what, exactly, his wife is implying. “Oh, god, Julie, no! I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> cheat on you. You don’t have to worry about that, you know that, right? You heard that song I wrote in there for you this morning. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I promise that I’ll love you for the rest of my life,</span>
  </em>
  <span>’” he sings. “I mean it. You’re it for me. L’amour de ma vie. The love of my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie launches herself into his arms, knocking him back into the surf. “Tu eres el amor de mi vida,” she echoes. Luke scoops her up out of the water and leads her back to his guitar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have more lyrics.” He grins, sitting cross-legged on the deck, setting his phone up to record. “‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Everyday I wake up next to an angel/More beautiful than words could say/They said it wouldn't work but what did they know?/'Cause a year has passed and we're still here today/Never in my dreams did I think that this could happen to me/As I stand here before my woman/I can't fight back the tears in my eyes/Oh how could I be so lucky/I must have done something right/And I promise to love her for the rest of my life.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is crying again, though it’s hard to tell when her face is still wet from the ocean. “I guess it’s my turn, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s brow furrows. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’ve written me two love songs today and I’ve only written you one. It’s my turn to write one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke chuckles at that. “Okay, what’ve you got?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I don't need a hundred roses waiting by the/Front door/I don't need a fancy house in the hills/You could rope the moon/And bring me all the stars/In heaven/It won't change how I feel/You don't have to be a modern-day Shakespeare/You don't have to be anything you're not/You don't have to give me diamonds to impress me/Just give me your heart/Make me feel loved, make me feel beautiful/Make me feel dance around the room/Cinderella kind of magical/Make me believe I'm all that you'll ever need/Hold me close and make me feel/A million kinds of wonderful/Baby, your touch, it's more than enough/Make me feel loved.’</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke smiles softly at his wife. “You are, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Loved? Beautiful? Magical? All I’ll ever need? Everything your song wants me to make you feel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie giggles. “You’re so sweet. You do, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we said that last night, remember?” Luke laughs with her. “You make me feel all those things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. You’re beautiful, Jules. You were beautiful last night walking down the aisle towards me, but you’re also beautiful in my t-shirt and a pair of jeans with your glasses and no makeup. You’re beautiful in pajamas and in your ballgown from the Grammys, and in nothing at all.” Julie chuckles at the last part. “You’re just so stunningly gorgeous that you make my heart hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did I get so lucky?” Julie asks Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles at her, rolling his eyes. “I ask myself that everyday, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the honeymoon is spent similarly: swimming, lounging around, cuddling, writing music… By the time the boat picks them up to bring them back to their family, they have an entire album’s worth of love songs, some individual love letters to each other and some that are duets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they get off the boat, everyone is gathered at the dock to greet them. Ray rolls his eyes when he sees that Luke still doesn’t have a shirt on. Alex and Reggie burst out laughing at the sight of Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” He asks defensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have an interesting tan, man,” Alex points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looks down at himself, alarmed, then starts laughing, too. The strap from his guitar has left a strip of untanned skin across his chest, shoulders, and back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie, why didn’t you tell me I was getting a tan line?” He asks his wife, pouting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie leans up to kiss away his pout. “Because I was too distracted by the sweet love songs you were playing to think to say anything in the moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I take it you guys did some writing?” Flynn asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex groans. “They’re all love songs, aren’t they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie blushes, exchanging a look with Luke. He starts singing, spinning his guitar from his back to his front so that he can play it. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>‘From the way you smile/ to the way you look/ you capture me/ unlike no other/ from the first hello/ yeah, that’s all it took/ and suddenly/ we had each other/ and I won’t leave you/ always be true/ one plus one, two for life, over and over again…</span>
  </em>
  <span>’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When it gets to Julie’s part, she takes over, a soft smile on her lips. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>From the heat of night/ to the break of day/ I’ll keep you safe/ and hold you forever/ and the sparks will fly/ they will never fade/ and every day gets better and better/ and I won’t leave you/ always be true/ one plus one, two for life/ over and over again…</span>
  </em>
  <span>’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex rolls his eyes. “You guys are so cheesy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, but is there any more on-brand way for them to spend their honeymoon than writing each other love songs?” Alina asks.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Songs used in this chapter:<br/>Black and White by Niall Horan<br/>Once in a Lifetime by Landon Austin<br/>Rest of My Life by Matt Johnson<br/>Loved by Lucy Hale<br/>Over and Over Again by Nathan Sykes (ft. Ariana Grande)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Honeymoon Nights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“We have some special guests tonight, LA! Here to talk about their newest album, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Honeymoon Nights</span>
  </em>
  <span>, we’ve got Julie and Luke Patterson of Julie and the Phantoms!” Cadence Carter announces as Julie and Luke walk on stage, waving. They sit down next to each other on the couch, Luke tucking Julie into his side, an arm around her shoulders. “Now, last time I had the Phantoms on my show, there were four of you, yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Alex Mercer and Reggie Peters are the other two Phantoms. We’re still a band and our next album will include them, but they chose not to be involved in the making of an album full of love songs,” Luke explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie chuckles. “I believe Alex’s exact words were ‘You’re asking me if I want to be in a recording booth- a small, enclosed space- with the two of you singing love songs to each other? No thanks.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So </span>
  <em>
    <span>Honeymoon Nights</span>
  </em>
  <span> is entirely made up of love songs? Tell me about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes so all the songs on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Honeymoon Nights</span>
  </em>
  <span> are love songs written on our honeymoon. So, back in May of 2020, we eloped to Vegas. We have no regrets because, I mean, I married Luke, how could I regret that? Have you seen him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, focus.” Luke nudges Julie’s shoulder with his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, sorry. So, while we didn’t and still don’t regret getting married when we did, we came to want the experiences we missed out on the first time around, like having my dad walk me down the aisle and an actual honeymoon. Luke suggested that we have another ceremony, a vow renewal, of sorts, where we could have all those experiences. That ceremony was on the anniversary of our first wedding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We flew out to a private island in Fiji where we had our ceremony with our family and friends and then we went to a separate private island off the coast of the first one for our honeymoon. It was literally just the two of us on our own little island for a week. We had a ton of fun and we made it a goal to write at least one love song a day for the duration of our stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first day, though, we wrote four,” Julie adds. “When we got back to LA, we showed the songs to our manager, Andi Parker, and she suggested we actually release them. Those songs became </span>
  <em>
    <span>Honeymoon Nights</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We’re so thrilled with the positive response our album has received and we want to thank everyone for the congratulations we’ve received.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s sweet. From what I remember from your first appearance on our show, Julie and the Phantoms catapulted into fame with another of your love songs, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect Harmony</span>
  </em>
  <span>. How does it feel to know that your love has driven your fame?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly?” Julie and Luke exchange glances. “Half the time, we forget that we’re famous,” Luke says with a chuckle. “Like, being famous has given us opportunities we otherwise wouldn’t be able to have. I mean, a destination wedding on a private island?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or, like, for our vow renewal, we got new wedding bands because our original ones were bought while Luke worked at a record store and I was still in school and their quality reflected that.” Julie pulls the bands in question out from under her shirt. “We still have them, of course, because they mean the world to us, but our success meant that we could get better ones. But to answer your question, what we’re excited about is being able to share our music and our love with the world. Our friends and fans say that we’re ‘couple goals’ and that feels amazing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how did you guys meet, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke groans at this question. “I hate this story…” He hides his face in Julie’s hair. “Tell me when it’s over, mon amour?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie giggles. “So, as I mentioned last time we were on your show, my mom was Rose Santos of Rose and the Petal Pushers. I met Luke about six months after she died in the record store where he worked. I’d had a really awful day at school, the kind where anything that can go wrong did, so I went to the Vault to look at music because that always makes me feel better. Anyway, I found one of the Petal Pushers’ CDs and I just broke down in the middle of the store. Luke was the only person there so he felt like </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> had to do something, and that something ended up being patting me on the head like a puppy, saying ‘there, there,’ and then trying to bribe me with his employee discount on the CD.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did that… work?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, of course not. I started yelling at him for being insensitive and shoved the stack of CDs I’d been holding into his arms, preparing to storm out. The CD on top was…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Homecoming, mon amour,” Luke supplies helpfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, Homecoming by Short Stack, and Luke was impressed. He started talking about how much he loves their music and that distracted me sufficiently. We were there for hours, until well after his shift, just talking about music. I think I fell a little bit in love with him that day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s so sweet, Julie. Okay, and how did the two of you go from a couple to part of a Grammy-winning band?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, the day I met Julie’s dad, about two months after we started dating, I was telling him about my band, Sunset Curve, and how we were trying to convince Julie to be our lead singer.” Luke sighs. “We went into their home studio and I was playing the solo from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Edge of Great</span>
  </em>
  <span> on the guitar and then Julie and I played it together for her dad. I asked Julie if this meant she was joining the band and Ray, that’s her dad, he said, ‘I think you’re gonna join her band.’ So that’s what Alex, Reggie, and I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s our band, now, mi alma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you guys are not shy about being affectionate with each other. You’re constantly touching and you use pet names for each other. What’s your favorite pet name your spouse uses for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mi alma,” Luke says at the same time that Julie says, “Mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so you like the ones in other languages, I see. Mi alma is Spanish, right? What does it mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, uh, ‘mi alma’ is Spanish for ‘my soul.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And, Luke, ‘mon amour’ is French for ‘my love?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie, do you speak French? Does Luke speak Spanish?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, actually, and that’s kind of the point,” Julie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, when Julie’s having a panic attack, I’ll talk to her in French. Like, just the randomest things, not even necessarily actual sentences.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that helps?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie nods. “Yeah. Um, when I’m having an attack, I like to just hear Luke talk. The rhythm and sound of his voice is soothing, but sometimes I can’t… Processing what he’s saying, having a coherent conversation, it’s really hard. When I hear the French, though, I can just, like, ignore the actual words because I know that Luke knows that I don’t know what he’s saying. I know I don’t have to respond or try to listen or anything. I can just focus on the sounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s really cool that you guys have figured that out. We’re running out of time and I believe I was promised a song. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Over and Over Again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s the plan!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They get up from the couch and head over to the keyboard set up on the other side of the stage. A crew member hands Luke his guitar and he sits down on a stool next to Julie’s piano. They play their song, then say their goodbyes, pleased with the enthusiastic applause they receive.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Instagram Live</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is inspired by a video posted by Jeremy Shada and his wife Carolynn. A lot of the questions were taken from the video.<br/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4KuACdOHqo&amp;feature=emb_logo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luke and Julie are sitting on the couch in the studio, the rest of the band having just left after a successful rehearsal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, wanna go live, boss?” Luke asks, scrolling through his Instagram.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Julie agrees, brushing her hair off of her face. She frowns when it falls back over her eyes. “Will you do my hair while I get the live up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always, mon amour.” Luke hands Julie his phone and she settles on the edge of the couch between his legs. “Braids?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two.” Luke starts combing her hair out with his fingers, gently detangling while Julie gets the live up. “Hey, guys, what’s up! Surprise live today… We just finished practice for the day and thought we’d answer some questions for you guys!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke separates Julie’s hair for the braids. “French braids, mon amour?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, thanks. Okay, first question. ‘Is Luke doing my hair?’” Julie chuckles. “Yes, he is. He’s actually really good at it, mostly because he practices on an old Barbie Styling Head from when I was a kid.” Julie pauses, laughing at another comment. “Hey, babe, someone wants to know why you do my hair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like to. It’s soothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still don’t get that! I hate dealing with my hair and yet you volunteer to do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. I like taking care of things that upset you so that you don’t have to deal with them. Plus, I get to play with your hair. What’s not to like?” Luke tugs a hair tie over his wrist, wrapping it around the end of the braid to secure it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, next question. ‘How long have you been married?’” Julie bites her lip, doing some quick math in her head. “A year and… two months? Almost three?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fifteen months next week Tuesday, mon amour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which really means fifteen months next week Wednesday because Luke is wrong about when our anniversary is,” Julie says with a smirk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not! You’re wrong!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie reads the comments coming in. “‘Why is this a debate?’” Julie chuckles. “So, our original wedding was in the middle of the night. We started the ceremony a little bit before midnight on May 16th, but we were pronounced husband and wife on May 17th. Luke thinks that because we started the ceremony on the 16th, our anniversary is the 16th. We weren’t pronounced husband and wife until the 17th, though, so that’s our anniversary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke ties off the second braid, then, and takes the phone from Julie. She shifts so that she’s properly seated on his lap and Luke grins. “I still maintain that I’m right, but it doesn’t really matter because I married Julie. That’s the important part, not what day it was. Okay, next question… Who does the cooking?” Julie points at Luke and he nods. “So, I’m the better cook. Julie can bake really well, but I distinctly remember her trying and failing to make boxed mac and cheese.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “My mom was the opposite. She was a great cook, but a horrendous baker. Like, comically bad. Luke, however, actually knows the math on how long to cook a turkey just, like, off the top of his head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thirteen minutes a pound if it’s unstuffed,” Luke confirms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, next is ‘how did your parents react when they found out you guys got married?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie chuckles. “Um, my dad said it was karma because he and my mom eloped, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Ray was just glad that Julie wasn’t pregnant. My parents were pissed that they weren’t invited.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘What is the thing you like most about each other?’” Julie reads off the screen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke covers Julie’s mouth with his hand. “Jules, don’t say what I know you’re going to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie licks Luke’s hand, which makes him pull it away, giving Julie time to say “abs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke rolls his eyes at his wife. “Really, babe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, like your answer isn’t my hair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It isn’t! I love your hair, but that’s not my favorite thing about you. My favorite thing is that basically whatever we’re doing, if it’s just hanging out watching movies or going on a crazy adventure somewhere, it’s special. We don’t have to be doing crazy things for it to be fun, as long as it’s together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, mi alma…” Julie turns in Luke’s lap to kiss him softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what happens when you marry your best friend,” Luke points out. In the comments, Alex and Reggie can be seen protesting. “Sorry, Alex, Reggie, but you’ve been demoted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! I win, guys!” Julie reads through another few comments. “Um, what was our first impression of each other? Yikes, I’m not sure I want to hear this...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My first impression of you, mon amour, once I stopped panicking about a crying girl in my place of work, was that you had really good taste in music. Also that you were beautiful. I was right, guys!” Luke lifts Julie’s hand to kiss her knuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, that’s sweet. My first impression of Luke was that he had no social skills.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, you know you were a mess. You don’t know how to deal with crying girls. You just don’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I do pretty good with you,” he protests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, yeah, but the first time? You tried to bribe me to get me to stop crying. Like, I love you, mi alma, but that’s not a good plan.” Julie presses a kiss to Luke’s jaw. “Sorry, babe, it just isn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, moving on! ‘Julie, what’s your favorite song that Luke sings?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s a hard one.” Julie bites her lip, thinking. “Um, he’s written me like fifteen love songs so it’s gonna have to be one of those. Maybe, um, </span>
  <em>
    <span>All of Me</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Because that’s the first one you played me so it’s extra special? What’s your favorite song that I sing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I Won’t Give Up</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The context of when you played that for me, combined with how good of a song it is and that you wrote it for my instrument? Yeah. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I Won’t Give Up.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Luke looks at the comments. “What’s the context? Oh, it was at the party we had once we got signed. I’d just played her </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like I’m Gonna Lose You</span>
  </em>
  <span> and she was like, ‘no. Stop worrying about that. You’re not gonna lose me because I won’t give up on you.’ It was just super sweet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, Luke… Okay, next question. ‘Who said I love you first? And who fell in love first?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so Julie said it first, actually, but I fell in love first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did not!” Julie objects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bought your engagement ring the night I met you, mon amour. I think I fell in love first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the comments, Flynn posts a facepalm emoji. Julie gapes at her husband. “You did what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so I was on the couch in my apartment and Alex walked in and said, ‘whoa, dude, you look like you’re in love.’ I realized he was right, so I went online and bought the ring. I’ve only fallen more in love ever since.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s crazy. You’re crazy, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but you love me anyway.” Julie kisses Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I do.” Julie sighs. “Next question. ‘How was your first kiss?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect,” Julie says at the same time that Luke says, “Fucking amazing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could feel his heart racing and I swear, he literally started crying,” Julie adds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell them that!” Luke protests. “Moving on, ‘how did you guys know that you were it for each other?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Luke, apparently, knew way too soon, so we’re gonna just not have him answer that. I knew when I realized that I wanted him to help me finish a song I started with my mom before she died. I, uh, I’d been trying to finish it for about two months and I could barely look at it without crying, but then I realized that I wanted to show it to Luke and that led to me realizing that, like, I’d be okay with letting him help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke reads a comment from Flynn aloud. “Flynn says that Julie wouldn’t even let anyone else touch Rose’s song books, much less read their contents. When Julie told her that we’d finished </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall</span>
  </em>
  <span>, that’s when Flynn knew that I was it for Julie. Aw, mon amour, I’m so glad you trusted me with your mother’s songs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie blushes. “I trust you with everything, Luke. You’re everything to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next question?” Luke asks, trying not to cry. “‘Do you guys want kids?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely not.” Julie says. Luke nods in agreement. “No kids for us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Did you guys know that you’re the cutest couple ever?’ Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex would like to inform everyone that we’re actually nauseating in person, but he’s wrong, so...” Julie adds, noticing his comment. “‘Best thing about married life?’ Definitely waking up together every morning.” Luke opens his mouth to answer and Julie slaps her hand over it. “Don’t say it, babe. I know what you’re thinking but don’t say it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke wiggles his eyebrows, smirking behind Julie’s hand. He gently pries her hand off of his face and says, “Yes, that, but also, since we live together, I can kiss Julie goodnight instead of saying goodbye and that’s a really awesome thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, this’ll be the last question. ‘Do you guys have a special place?’” Julie reads off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, actually, we do. We have a secret snuggle space.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s kind of not a secret anymore, though, babe, since you just told the entire internet.” Julie rolls her eyes. “You guys want to see it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The comments are spammed with people saying ‘yes,’ so Luke tries to turn the camera to show the loft. He ends up just flipping the camera around, making everyone watching dizzy. “Babe? Help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie sighs, taking the phone from Luke. “He sucks at technology, sorry, guys.” Julie walks with the phone to the ladder for the loft, setting it as high as she can reach, before climbing up to the snuggle space. She takes the camera and pans it around the space. “This is our secret snuggle space. Isn’t it cute?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke joins Julie in the loft. “Isn’t she cute?” He asks, taking the phone back.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Home is Where the Band Is</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey, Jules, can we talk about something?” Luke asks Julie one afternoon. They’re snuggled up together on the couch in the living room and Luke has been playing with Julie’s hair for a while, trying to build up the courage to have this conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, babe. What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, uh, so I know you love this house and that you grew up here and everything but...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you want to get our own place.” Julie finishes her husband’s sentence. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, this will always be my home, but I think it’s time we make our own home, together.” Julie sighs. “I hate that you were this nervous to talk to me about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just- all your memories of your mom are here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And my dad isn’t selling this place any time soon. I can always come back here. I actually had an idea that I think you’re gonna love.” Julie kisses Luke’s jaw. “Wanna hear it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so I was reading this article about this family in Kentucky-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not moving to Kentucky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, of course not. The article was about how they have a tiny house village that they live in. I was thinking that we could buy a plot of land with the guys and Alina and build three houses and a studio on it. Real houses, though, not tiny ones. We could make our own little band village?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god, I love you.” Luke kisses Julie passionately. “You’re my dream girl, you know that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d hope so, I mean, you did marry me.” Julie lets Luke kiss her a little while longer before pushing him away. “Is this a yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a yes. Let’s call the guys and ask them what they think? This is so exciting!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray comes in, then, and raises an eyebrow. “Why are you so excited?” He frowns. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Papí, you know we’re not having kids.” Julie rolls her eyes at her dad. “We’re moving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are, are you? Where, exactly? When?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re gonna buy a big plot of land with the guys and build houses for each of us and a studio on it. We’re making our own little band village,” Julie explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay... Where, exactly, will this band village be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re staying in LA, don’t worry.” Ray sighs, pleased that he’s not going to have to travel across the country to visit his daughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s good.” Ray watches for a moment longer as Julie grabs her phone from the coffee table and she and Luke stop paying any attention to him. “Okay, then. I’ll leave you guys to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye, Papí,” Julie says, distracted, as she texts the Band+ group chat, which includes the band and Willie and Alina. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luke and I want to run an idea past you guys. Wanna come over?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A message pops up from Alina: ‘on our way.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie replies by telling them to just meet in the studio, and she and Luke head out there to wait. They’re killing time by looking at house plans and undeveloped land online when everyone shows up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so spill,” Alex says. “What’s this idea you guys had?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, we’ve decided that we’re ready to get our own place,” Luke starts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About time. I’ve been wondering why you guys were still living here,” Willie says. “Do you guys have a new place lined up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about,” Julie starts. “We had this idea… what are your thoughts on buying a place together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jules, be more specific. Tell them about your idea!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so I was reading this article about a family in Kentucky-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not moving to Kentucky!” Everyone else protests in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, that’s exactly how Luke reacted when I brought this up. Of course, we’re not moving to Kentucky. The idea came from the Kentucky family. My idea is that we buy a big plot of land and build three houses and a studio on it and create our own little band village. That way, we’d all have our own space but we’d all be together, too. Thoughts?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie, that’s… genius!” Reggie exclaims. “Can we have a pool?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reg, we can have whatever we want. That’s the benefit of building our own place,” Luke points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie and Alina exchange looks. “We’re in!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex, Willie?” Julie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure. Sounds fun!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent! So, we found this big, undeveloped area somewhat near here and were thinking that it looked like a good choice?” Julie shows them the lot on her laptop. The area is approved so Julie starts the process of getting a hold of the realtor. While they wait for a response, they take turns picking out house plans and discussing things they want for the studio.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Phantom Town</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They move into their new homes</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one's short and there's maybe 1 more chapter after this one... I know it sucks but I don't have any more plot.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The now-complete Phantom Town is everything its occupants had wanted. All three houses are built and painted to be exactly the way everyone had pictured. The common building, designed as a team, has a movie room (with screens on the wall and ceiling, mountains of pillows and beanbags, and, of course, a concessions stand with popcorn and slushy machines), individual practice rooms (Julie and Luke’s are connected), a rehearsal space, a high-tech recording booth, a couple of guest rooms, a lounge room, kitchen, and changing rooms that lead out to the pool area. The pool is huge and gorgeous, the landscaping is perfect, and everyone is thrilled with their new homes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they first arrive, Luke carries Julie over the threshold into their new home, a Colonial-style, three bedroom house that has Julie squealing as she runs around, inspecting all the rooms. Luke hadn’t cared about what their new home looked like, so long as he was sharing it with Julie, so he had let her design everything. He follows her from room to room, impressed with the house itself as well as how Julie has furnished it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The master bedroom has a massive bed centered on the wall to the left of the doorway. On the wall above the bed hang three canvases, each with a date on them. Luke chuckles when he realizes that the one on the far left, his side of the bed, has their wedding date on it, the one in the middle has the date of their vow renewal ceremony, and the one above Julie’s side has the date that she says is their wedding date. There are fluffy stools at the foot of the bed, a vanity in the corner, and a big armchair, big enough for both of them to snuggle on together, on the opposite corner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other two bedrooms have been turned into guest bedrooms, and the attic spaces had been finished and turned into offices for each of them. Julie had wanted Luke to set up his own office, so it was fairly sparse, just a desk, chair, and bookshelf. Julie’s, on the other hand, was fully decked out. It was decorated in shades of pink, teal, and gray, with crisp, white accents. He smiles at this room. It’s so Julie, he acknowledges.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they’ve finished inspecting their new home, it’s almost dinner. No one had wanted to cook, so they’d arranged to meet back in the common house, which they’d been trying to name for weeks, for pizza. Alex sends them a text saying it’s arrived, so Julie grabs Luke’s hand and leads him outside, then into the common house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie is bouncing on his heels in the kitchen. “Guys, finally! I’ve decided on a name for this building!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hear it, Reg,” Luke says, grabbing some pizza, both for himself and Julie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so the band village as a whole is called Phantom Town, right? Because it’s a play on ghost town because we’re the Phantoms. Ghost towns remind me of the Old West, so I was thinking we call this building the Saloon, because they always have one where everyone gathers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Sure, Reg. This can be the Saloon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She settles onto Luke’s lap and Alex snorts. “Julie, when’s the last time you sat directly on a chair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I do that when I can just sit on Luke?” Julie bats her eyelashes innocently. “Isn’t that what husbands are for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke chuckles, holding up a slice of pizza for Julie to take a bite. “I’m happy to be your chair, babe, but I do hope that you appreciate me for more than a comfy place to sit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie finishes the bite of pizza she’d been eating, before pressing a kiss to Luke’s jaw. “Of course, I appreciate you for more than a place to sit. You’re attractive, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke smiles, kissing Julie’s cheek. “You’re so beautiful it hurts, mon amour. I love you.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Credit to odd_izzy for the name Phantom Town.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Epilogue: Five Years Later</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is it, guys! STAMTB is done! I hope you guys loved it as much as I loved writing it! If you have any ideas for a JATP fic for me to write next, feel free to suggest them! As always, feel free to shoot me an email over at knitsessed@gmail.com or find me on tumblr @knitsessed if you want to chat.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Reggie paces in the hallway outside the delivery room. Luke comes up to him and grasps the bassist’s shoulders. “Reg, calm down. You’re okay, Alina’s okay, and the baby is going to be okay, too. A c-section isn’t that big of a deal, man. She’s gonna be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie had proposed to Alina at Christmas the year she graduated, almost four years ago. They’d gotten married the following summer and were now expecting their first child. The whole band had gathered in the hospital, partially to be there to meet Baby Peters whenever he/she was born, and partially to support Reggie and Alina. When the doctors discovered that Baby Peters was in breach, they decided that a c-section would be best. Reggie had agreed to that, but now he was freaking out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, they’re doing surgery on my wife! What if something goes wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s there, then, pushing Luke aside and wrapping Reggie into a big hug. “Reg, she’s gonna be fine. They’re honestly probably almost done by now. Be excited, Reg! You’re gonna be a dad!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie starts pacing again. “Yeah, a little scared about that, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex and Willie step in, Willie holding the hand of their three-year-old. Owen was an adorable little guy, originally a foster child that Alex and Willie had adopted. “Owen, give your Uncle Reggie a hug.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The little kid grins, holding his arms out. Reggie, never able to say no to Owen, scoops him up and hugs him. “Is Auntie Alina almost done having the baby?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, the nurse comes out to speak to Reggie, startled to find that six people are waiting for news and are now staring expectantly at her. “Mr. Peters, congratulations. Your daughter is healthy and Alina is just fine. She’s still sleeping from the anesthesia, but there were no complications and she should wake up in about an hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie sighs in relief, then seems to register the rest of the doctor’s words. “My… my daughter? Can I meet her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke, Alex, and Willie whoop in excitement. “A girl, Reg. You’ve got a daughter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doctor leads Reggie (and, by proxy, the rest of the group) into the room where Alina has been moved to, a bassinet next to the bed holding the newborn. Reggie peeks over the edge and gasps. “She’s beautiful! Can I hold her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nurse gently picks up the baby and places her in Reggie’s arms. “What’s her name going to be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Madison Rose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julie’s eyes widen. “Rose? After-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After your mom, yeah. We, uh, we wanted to honor the people who gave us the only real, functional family we’ve ever been close to and we figured you’d hate having our kid named after you,” Reggie explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were right,” Julie says with a chuckle. “Can I hold her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie carefully passes the baby over to her aunt. “Madi, this is your Auntie Julie. You’re named after her mom.”</span>
</p><p><span>Julie holds the baby gently, rocking her slightly. “Hi, Madi. We’re all really excited you’re here. I just want to let you know that I’m the cool aunt.” Julie looks up. “Luke, come meet your niece.” Luke walks up, wrapping an arm around Julie’s shoulders. “Madi, this is your Uncle Luke. We’re gonna be the ones spoiling you, okay?”</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Aw, Madi’s adorable.” Luke coos over the baby for a moment, then locks eyes with Julie. “I still don’t want one, though.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Julie laughs. “Me, either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the five years since the band moved into Phantom Town and six and a half years since Julie and the Phantoms was formed, they had lived quite the life. Julie and the Phantoms had won several more Grammys, released three more albums, all of which topped charts as Platinum records, and had become closer as a family. Speaking of family, Carlos and Ray come running in then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is the baby here?” Carlos asks. Julie turns around to show Madi to Carlos and Ray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Madison Rose Peters. They named her after Mama, guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ray hugs Reggie tightly. “Thank you, mijo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Baby Madi is passed around so that everyone gets a chance to hold her, though Carlos refuses, saying that he’ll drop her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, little man, how’re things with Sophia?” Luke asks his brother-in-law.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos blushes. “She’s awesome, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember when you told me you’d never want a girlfriend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was a fool,” Carlos mutters. “Girlfriends are </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He pauses. “Family is great.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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